Iron Blooded Heroes
by Stryker. AJ
Summary: When a boy with a weak, Welding Quirk and one with a strong, horrific Tail Quirk meet, one would expect the latter to be hostile towards the former. However, instead of doing as such, the two befriended each other, and soon enough, they find themselves in a multitude of different events, both good and bad, in their journey to become Pro Heroes
1. The welder meets the fighter

The Niigata Prefecture, located on the island of Honshu, somewhere along the coast of the Sea of Japan, was a beautiful place to say the least. As the capital of Niigata, the Prefecture was a sight to behold, and it certainly lived up to its role as the Capital of a city. Once upon a time during the _Sengoku Period_ , it was divided into two parts, the _Echigo_ and _Sado Provinces_.

Several hundred years later, however, the now united region of Niigata is more commonly known as the third largest Japanese City facing the Sea of Japan.

For a large chunk of its time as the capital of Niigata, the Niigata Prefecture was usually a quiet place, with nothing out of the ordinary taking place for a handful of generations ever since the closing of the _Sengoku Period_. At least, that was how it _used_ to be before the aptly named _Quirk Phenomenon_ , an incident which took place sometime during the early 20th century, occurred, a phenomenon that began when an infant from China who was at the youthful age of four began _glowing_. For many days following this confusing incident, the people of the country had considered him a one time incident, a genetic mutation of sorts that could be explained by science if given enough time.

However, while they were correct to assume that the supposed one time phenomenon could be explained away by science, they were incorrect in assuming that it was a one time thing, as mere days later there was an incident in Canada involving a child levitating their parents up into the air with what seemed to be telekinesis. Soon after, reports stated that a child in Japan had twin cannons sticking from his shoulders and, in Russia, a female with the ability to produce electricity from her fists had been sighted. For a few months being known to the public, these handful of people were considered outcasts, aliens among those who were considered to be 'normal'.

But after the phenomenon got more common, with more people gaining these… 'Quirks', as they were called, they were eventually considered the norm. Hell, now about 80% of the human population has Quirks, meaning 80% of the world has the ability to levitate, create flames, spit glue out and so on, usually once they reach the age of four.

At the dawn of this extraordinary era, however, came a noticeable and rather dangerous problem. Quirks, while often considered to be a wonderful gift to humanity, were also dangerous, and when a person decided to use one in service of evil, they could do some serious damage, and traditional military methods would most likely be less effective at subduing criminals, now that they possessed such abilities.

In order to counteract this, right as Quirks were accepted to be the norm, the Police Force of every country came up with a way to fight back against these 'Villains', as the public had called the Quirked evil-doers, by making one major decision, to train particularly gifted individuals, typically with impressive Quirks, to protect the general populace. This new wave of law enforcers, or more widely known by the honorary term of 'Heroes', were greatly criticised at first, as the thought of allowing a person with a dangerous Quirk protect them didn't sit quite well with a few individuals. However, over time, it came to garner public support due to the fact that a large majority of people who worked professionally as Heroes acted morally right, practically chivalrous to some, and upheld the law with every fiber of their strength.

And when Quirks were accepted and after Heroes became a part of everyday life, to say that the Niigata Prefecture certainly got more interesting would be an understatement. Thanks to the fact that the Niigata Prefecture was as big as it was, criminals would often be found lurking around the area. Criminals with dangerous Quirks, no less. And they were the types to kill to get what they wanted. Simply put, the crime rate was rather high in the Niigata Prefecture, and they needed a way to quell it.

To do that, the Police Force sent a handful of Pro-Heroes to watch over Niigata, all of whom were led by a White Knight, for the lack of a simpler term. Clad in White Armour from almost head to toe with blue and gold accents, with massive, white, almost angelic wings, the one man who was often considered the leader and face of the Heroes in Niigata, was known as _Agnika Kaieru_ , or, more commonly to the public, _Bael_. The 'Knight' was among the top Heroes of his time, which made him a one man army to most, or more accurately, the ' _All Might_ ' of the Sea of Japan.

Thanks to _Bael_ and his small team of fellow Heroes, crime rate in the Niigata Prefecture decreased drastically in the span of several short weeks. And thanks to this, many people of Niigata Prefecture heavily looked up to the man, even giving him the title of 'King' as tribute to his namesake, the King of _Ares Gaetio_. As for the children, they wished to become that man when they grew up and learnt how to properly use their Quirk.

And among said children was a certain young boy who truly idolised the _All Might_ of the Niigata Prefecture. A single, young boy who had a weak Quirk, but still made it his life goal to become a Hero despite every one of his shortcomings…

Said boy was roughly at the age of twelve as of now, with black hair that was swept back and spiked upwards, only held up that way via a wide, patterned headband that was low enough to cover part of his brow. Twin, youthful grey eyes occupied his eye sockets, and more often than not, the young man would be seen wearing his signature frown, an expression that wasn't entirely uncalled for…

The boy had the rather appropriate name of _Yosetsu Awase_ , the son of _Takumi Awase_ and _Yuuko Kamishiro_ , and an overall nervous wreck of a teenager. His overall nervous as all Hell self wasn't exactly uncalled for, however, as the boy has generally been picked on for a large part of his life… though for the most part, most of the insults he has received were related strongly to his Quirk.

On the day Yosetsu had found out about his Quirk… the boy was… underwhelmed, to say the least. Knowing what would most likely happen if he were to reveal the true nature of his Quirk, he had kept it a secret for as long as he possibly could. Rather unfortunately for him, however, a certain someone who has been with the boy for a majority of his time eventually figured out what his Quirk truly was. And ever since that day, every one of his classmates had treated him… differently.

It all began with simple name calling, something which did do a number on Yosetsu's psyche, though never enough to really cause any permanent damage… at least until it got much worse anyways. By the second year of everyone knowing of his Quirk, the younger Yosetsu was undoubtedly the prime culprit for bullies who were itching to assert their dominance.

Everything went out of hand by the time secondary school came along, however, with the young boy being outright attacked on a handful of occasions thanks to his below average Quirk. These attacks were originally rather tame, though as time went on, they grew much more… intense, so to speak, leaving Awase with several injuries to contend with. And to add insult to injury, a majority of the wounds inflicted on the boy tended to be in places that were covered up, namely his stomach, places that would not usually be seen by his parents.

However, bullying was not the only thing his admittedly weak Quirk brought onto him, as it also gave him a severe lack of friends as, to most of his classmates, his Quirk was so weak that he may as well have been Quirkless. It did leave him with a sense of loneliness, though he supposed that it could be worse. Even without friends to speak with to pass the time, the boy did manage to keep himself entertained by messing around on his mobile phone, primarily futzing around with mobile games he particularly enjoyed, but he ended up refraining from doing so after his first phone was smashed within the first month of school.

Years of mental and physical torment from local bullies had taken many apparent tolls on Yosetsu, such as him developing a lot of self doubt within him. Even worse, he ended up developing a paranoid personality which made him extremely wary and fearful of anyone he came across, thinking that they were out to get him. A combination of a large amount of self doubt and mild paranoia seemed to have turned Awase into something of a loner, seeing as how he had a knack for sitting by the sides, always silent so as to avoid any unnecessary confrontations.

Despite knowing that it would be useless… the boy still held out hope for _something_ … _anything_ good to happen to him. Every time he was shoved up against a locker door or berated for having a weak Quirk for the amusement of anyone who wanted to get a kick out of him, the young boy would hope for someone to help him. A Hero, for the lack of a better term. _Bael_ , perhaps, to help drive these bastards away. For years, no one came to help. And then came _that_ day, a day where the boy was in the middle of his first year of secondary school in _Bandai High School_ *, when he was ganged upon by a trio of his school's most infamous bullies…

Eyes wide with fear as he felt his collar get tugged up, Yosetsu did his best to hold back a handful of tears and coughs as he recovered from a rather solid sock to the gut. Despite trying his best to hold them in, Awase felt his eyes beginning to turn watery as he tried to shake off the pain, and he felt personally insulted when the Niigata Prefecture's local bully simply stared at him mockingly as he held him by the collar of his uniform.

With redish hair and a typical, confident grin on his face, the boy who was currently holding Yosetsu up against his school locker was named _Kio Asuna_ , a rather well known bully in the Halls of _Bandai High School_ and the personal tormentor of Yosetsu Awase.

Kio Asuna… it was a name that Yosetsu knew for a very long time. The two of them have been… together ever since he had enrolled into Primary School, sticking with him all the way up to the day he graduated and moved on to Secondary. And to say that Kio was a pain in the neck for at least the past six or so years would be an understatement.

For some who were born with powerful Quirks, they would tend to use their powers in service of good, to protect the populace with their fantastic abilities or to simply help wherever they could. Unfortunately for Awase… Kio was _not_ one of these people. With such a powerful Quirk, one that was considered the strongest in all of _Bandai High_ , at least by the standards of a teenager, and with the boy receiving a large amount of praise for it, Kio seemed to have picked up an arrogant streak somewhere along the way, and that led him to being a typical bully sort of child… one that _really_ enjoyed pushing weaker Quirk users around with his.

While there were certainly many targets for Kio in the _Bandai High School_ , Yosetsu was most definitely his prime target. His Quirk was noticeably weaker than a majority of the others that were present in their school. And this small, unfortunate fact was what led them to targeting the child on an almost regular basis, and this time was no different, even if it was a little more… painful.

This being their first semester in _Bandai High_ , or more specifically the end of it, their class teacher had assigned them a simple piece of homework to work on, namely something in regards to their future careers. The answer many, Yosetsu included, had filled in was the 'Hero' option… something which didn't exactly sit well with a majority of his class. Despite only being here for at most three months, Yosetsu was already feeling rather alienated from everyone present. It was most likely tied in with his Quirk, something he didn't need to ask to be sure of.

At first, Awase had anticipated for this little exercise to be nothing more than a small matter, with him simply filling in some minor questions in regards to what he hoped for his future career and for the teacher to keep it with him, never to look at it a second time. What he had _not_ anticipated for, however, was for said teacher to actually call everyone up, one by one, to present what they had hoped to become in the future.

By then, Yosetsu had wished that he had the invisibility Quirk of one of his fellow classmates… and even as every one of them walked up on stage to present, the boy couldn't help but realize that every last one of them had outclassed him severely in the Hero department. Kio in particular all seemed more capable than he was… and even others such as a classmate who had an invisibility Quirk or another with a shrinking ability… they all seemed to much capable than he was.

The fact that everyone seemed to react negatively to Yosetsu's admittance of wishing to become a Hero seemed to tell Awase that… well… he was right to think that way. The boy's Quirk was weak… it was unfit for Hero duty… perhaps he should call it quits… though in the middle of all his sulking, the boy did manage to notice a rather… impassive kid over at the far corner.

Unlike a majority of his class who were snickering to each other, that boy… he seemed uninterested in everything that was going on at the moment, seeming content with just staring blankly at the whiteboard. Him not giving a negative reaction to Yosetsu's dream was rather nice… though before he could really think anymore about it, he was asked to head back to his seat by his teacher. He complied, though he couldn't help but notice that Kio seemed to be eyeing him with what appeared to be an annoyed expression…

At first, Awase thought nothing of it… only to regret doing so when the boy somehow found himself shoved up against his school locker for the umptheenth time in recent memory. There were spectators, sure, though no one dared interrupt Kio when he was in the middle of pummeling someone. The boy wasn't exactly known as the most infamous child in _Bandai High School_ for nothing, after all.

* * *

"K-Kio?!" was the first and only thing Yosetsu managed to blurt out before a solid strike to the stomach shut him up. The punch was enough to cause him to cough, and it was definitely a lot more than enough to get him to shut up, leading into the events which were transpiring right now.

"Yosetsu, old buddy, old pal…" began Kio, eyes narrowed as he spoke to Awase in a rather mocking tone. "I vaguely remember you writing about wanting to become a Hero or something, yes? Mind telling me the reasons? I'd _love_ to know, considering how you didn't tell anyone that when you were up at the front of class!"

Yosetsu knew better than to reply, so he kept his mouth shut, something which didn't sit well with Kio as he gripped Awase's collar with both hands and shoved him harder against the locker. A small crowd had gathered around them right about now, all intent on watching, though no one dared step forward to help Awase lest they were willing to feel the power of his Quirk. And at the moment, Awase wished that they were at least a little braver.

"No comment, eh?" muttered Kio, rolling his eyes. "Typical, so let's get to the real point of why I'm holding you up… listen, Yosetsu, you _can't_ be a Hero."

Those words, while he has heard them multiple times in the past… those words stung him hard. His dream has been put down multiple times before, yes, but he never got used to hearing it be driven into the grave. Every time he hears someone say that, something within him shatters… though, rather shockingly to Kio and a handful of faces in the crowd, the boy found enough courage within himself to talk back to the stronger boy.

"T-That… isn't true…!" retorted Yosetsu, moving a hand up to weakly grasp Kio's wrist as he spoke. "My Quirk isn't suited for Combat… sure… b-but… it can s-still be a useful Rescue Quirk…"

"So what? Rescue Heroes aren't needed as much as Pro Heroes, kid," said Kio as he tapped Yosetsu's forehead in a mocking manner, a gesture that hurt the boy a tad. "Just look at it this way, I'm _helping_ you avoid being killed by a Villain here! If anything, you should-"

"I-I should be ignoring y-you and do w-whatever I want…!" said Yosetsu, effectively cutting Kio off and earning himself many wide eye glances as he did. As for Kio, however, the boy simply stared at him in shock, only to clench a fist and slam it straight into Yosetsu's stomach. Awase widened his eyes right as the fist made contact with his abdomen, and not long after, the stronger teen released his collar, prompting him to fall to the ground in pain.

"See, if you can't even take a punch from me, what hope do you have to take one from a villain?" questioned Kio, kneeling down to tap Awase on the forehead. "Go home and clear your mind, kid. Maybe you'll learn something."

"I… already h…" began Yosetsu, pausing to cough as he turned up to glare at Kio. "H-Have… though I already knew this little fact ever since I was a kid…"

"Yeah, and what would this little fact be, Yosetsu?" asked Kio, and before long, the weaker boy was kneeling on one knee while Kio himself stood up and stared down at him like an insect, an insect who had an arm wrapped around his sore stomach as he glared up at the bully, who was admittedly shocked when he saw that rather fierce glint in his eye.

"That y-you're a bastard…" finished Awase, finding every ounce of courage he had within himself to blurt out those four words. Kio himself stood for a moment, stunned, as was the small crowd around them. The boy, despite being rather known for giving out insults, was not used to being insulted himself, and it showed as he began clenching his fist. The crowd seemed to know what was about to transpire as they all took several steps back… all except for a single, black haired boy who did the exact opposite and stepped _towards_ Kio…

"What did you just say…?" demanded Kio, lifting Awase up by the collar. The boy was quickly regretting his words as the bully pulled his arm back, readying a punch…

' _Three steps to close the distance…'_

"I-I…" began Yosetsu, his nervousness coming back in full as he held his hands up, though they were quickly thrown to his side when a mild jolt of electricity was sent through his system, courtesy of Kio. "I didn't!"

"SHUT UP!" exclaimed Kio as clenched his fingers.

' _Two steps…'_

"W-WAIT!" proclaimed a horrified Yosetsu, though Kio wasn't listening. He pulled his hand back and supercharged his knuckles with his Quirk. At this range and with this much power, it could even put Awase into a coma…

"JUST SHUT UP, YOU USELESS PILE OF SHIT!" exclaimed Kio as he flung his arm forward…

' _One… got you…'_

And right before his fist could make contact with Yosetsu's face, it was stopped… stopped by a rather large hand that had wrapped itself around his wrist. Everyone present, including Yosetsu and Kio himself, was shocked at that, though they were even more so when they saw Yosetsu's savior.

He stood at barely over a metre tall, just barely reaching Kio's chin, with black hair that was rather messy, something which could apply to his _Bandai High_ uniform. A small ahoge was visible on the top of his head, and twin, blue eyes occupied his eye sockets. His name wasn't known, though two things were for sure… and that was that the boy had just stopped a punch from Kio, the single, self proclaimed strongest boy in _Bandai High_ , and that the newcomer boy looked annoyed

"What is this hand doing?" demanded the newcomer simply as he lowered his brows, frowning as he rather nonchalantly pulled Kio's arm back, and the taller boy was visibly struggling against the shorter's grip.

"What the…" muttered Kio when his fist was stopped from impacting Awase's face, only to cry out in pain as the newcomer tightened his grip on his wrist. Eyes widening as his mouth shot open to allow him to yell out, letting go of Yosetsu's collar in the process. The boy dropped down as the newcomer kept Kio's wrist firmly locked in his grip, prompting him to kneel down in pain as circulation was cut off from his limb.

"What is this hand doing," repeated the newcomer, ignoring the astonished looks he got from Yosetsu and everyone else, with his attention being fully on Kio as he grimaced immensely.

"N-Nothing! IT'S NOT DOING ANYTHING!" exclaimed Kio in pain after a few seconds of agony located on his wrist. Seemingly satisfied with his answer, the black haired boy finally released his limb, allowing him to retract it and nurse the sore limb uneasily. Grimacing immensely as the newcomer glared down at him, Kio said nothing as he turned away, though as soon as his back was turned, the somewhat wounded boy immediately clenched a fist, allowing several sparks of electricity to form as he activated his Quirk.

As soon as the newcomer took a step away, Kio sprung at him, intending to land a single punch on the back of his head… only to be smacked out of the air right before he even got close. Widening his eyes as it whipped his side, Kio grimaced when he impacted the ground. It took him a second to regain his marbles, though by then, he soon realized that the thing that just struck him was most definitely the boy's Quirk.

That _thing_ that had knocked Kio out of the air was… _horrific_ … to say the least. Seemingly made out of bone sharpened to a sinister point, with serrated edges that looked capable of cutting through flesh, and _definitely_ more than capable of killing him. The sharpened chunk of bone was connected to what appeared to be a fleshy cord that emerged from the bottom of the newcomer's uniform. The mere appearance of that… _thing_ was enough to make everyone present freeze in fear, just long enough for the black haired boy to turn away and leave that section of the school.

The boy did, however, spare Yosetsu one last glance before he walked off. That last glance lasted roughly two seconds at best, but it was long enough for Yosetsu to recognise him…

' _That's… the kid…'_ thought Awase as the black haired boy walked out of sight, his… 'tail' sliding up his uniform and disappearing from sight as he did, leaving Awase and Asuna to just sit there silently as a hall monitor finally decided to show up, elbowing through the crowd until he was standing before both of them. Almost immediately, Yosetsu blank and turned to the hall monitor, with Kio requiring a thump on the head to get his attention.

"You two had _better_ have a good excuse for this…" grumbled the hall monitor before dragging the two off to the closest discipline master's office. Though as he was dragged off, however, Yosetsu himself couldn't help but wonder _why_ that… Tail-boy had helped him…

And he kept wondering about that even after he and Kio were released from the school's discipline master's office, keeping his mind on the topic even as he walked home…

* * *

 **The Awase Residence (Yosetsu's house)**

To most, a simple HDB flat wasn't exactly fancy.

Having to live in a massive apartment complex alongside several others with typically cramped living environments and a potentially noisy neighbors living in close quarters would be quite a put off to most, but to Yosetsu, it was all he could ever ask for. It was large enough for his entire family, consisting of both his parents and himself. They even had a single spare room leftover that acted as a storeroom for random stuff they had no room for and a kitchen.

When he got home, he was unsurprised to see that both his parents were not around. While it did make the house feel barren, with him being the only person in it for a majority of the time, Yosetsu did understand why it was that way. Both his parents worked at a local automobile story dubbed _Acceleron Inc_ , something of a global business by now. His parents were suited to that job, seeing as their Quirks, _Flatten_ and _Merge_ for his mother and father respectively, were prime Welding abilities. They worked hard to support Yosetsu, and their son was eternally grateful for that, though it didn't stop things from feeling rather… lonely whenever he got home.

The boy seemed to have a daily routine for whenever he got home from school, with a quick bath was always the first thing on that list, followed by a slight snack and moving onto homework. The homework _Bandai High_ tended to issue to the 'General Course' of students, which was the course Awase was in, was usually in relation to the common subjects of old, such as English, Math, Mother Tongue (in his case, Japanese), and so on.

On this specific day, however the homework his teacher had issued had something to do with the Rescue Hero subcategory of Heroes, a subcategory that the boy was immensely fond of, having done quite a bit of research on them on his spare time on his phone.

These were the only few times when Yosetsu was able to show his rather commendable knowledge in regards to the subject of Heroes, especially the Rescue Hero subcategory. Rescue Heroes were essentially his idols, and even considering them that would be quite a disservice. The boy absolutely adored every Hero in this subcategory, almost to a frightening degree as he knew quite a few of them by name at this point, though he never did share them with anyone outside of his parents anyhow.

Rescue Heroes such as the practically legendary _Crimson Typhoon_ , regarded as the _All Might_ of Hong Kong to the denizens of China, or the local Japanese UA Hero, _Thirteen_ , were figures he looked up to heavily. Unlike most other Heroes who wielded Quirks that made them almost literal Gods among men, at least a handful of Heroes who had the 'Rescue' Prefix were owners of relatively weak ones, something that Yosetsu could relate to rather heavily, what with his very own Quirk being generally unimpressive.

On a regular day, Yosetsu would have breezed through the entire sheet of homework within a handful of minutes. On this day in particular, however, the boy had paused on several occasions, having succumbed to a still lingering question in his mind.

' _That boy…'_ was the only real thought he could produce every so often, making him stop his hand from writing for the briefest of moments in order to entertain that thought. One couldn't blame him, however, as that black haired, ahoge toting kid was the only person Awase could really remember stand up for him, and the fact that he was able to overpower _Kio_ , of all people, made him a prime suspect for Yosetsu's curiosity.

Why did he help him? What was his name? Was he that one boy who sat at the very back of the class, the only one who did not laugh when Yosetsu stated that he wished to be a Hero? The only thing that Yosetsu could partially confirm was that last one, as, if his memory wasn't failing him, he could vaguely remember spotting that boy sitting near the back of the class on multiple occasions. Now that he thought about it… that boy never seemed to participate in anything in class, be it group assessments, events or projects, essentially making him a ghost that everyone ignored, Yosetsu included. He doubt that even the teacher knew his name at this point…

But he did know at least _one_ thing for sure, and that was that this boy, whoever he was, had saved him from receiving a rather nasty public beating from Kio. Sure, his parents were called informed of it, and he'd have to explain the whole fiasco to them, but he felt that the less bruises he had, the better. And it was all because this boy… practically a complete stranger, was compelled enough to step forward and help him…

Just knowing that not everyone was alienating him was enough to make Yosetsu fall into a trance for about a minute, and he only snapped out of it when he had dropped his pen, causing an "Uwaaa!" to escape his lips as he picked it back up.

Now back in reality, Yosetsu quickly finished up his homework and upon its completion, the boy leaned back on his chair, just staring up at the ceiling in wonder, with most of his thoughts being primarily on that boy…

And he would unintentionally fall asleep right there and then on his swivel chair after some time, with his last thought before drifting off to sleep being a firm resolution to perhaps talk to the Tail-Quirk boy sometime in the future.

* * *

 **Several days later**

For roughly two weeks following that the day the Tail-Quirk boy helped him, Yosetsu had made it his goal to at least talk to him, though he could never find it in himself to do so without backing out at the last second.

For some rather personal reasons, Yosetsu could never gather enough courage to speak to the boy. It was rather excusable, however, as the Tail-boy was… unsettling to say the least. No matter what happened during class, funny, sad, angering or even when Yosetsu was being mocked by Kio, he had never changed his expression in the slightest. The teen never smiled… or give any expression outside of a neutral gaze, though a somewhat annoyed one could be seen from time to time if Yosetsu paid enough attention to him.

Hell, whenever he was approached by anyone, even if it was a girl who was wanting some… something, the boy would almost always ignore them, only speaking to them if absolutely necessary. And even then, he kept conversations to a minimum, prompting Yosetsu to believe that the boy was an extremely antisocial sort of person, which did not help Yosetsu's hesitation to approach him. But, on the polar opposite side of his mind, there was also a part of Yosetsu that thought that he seemed… well… lonely. As if he wanted a friend, but wasn't willing to show it.

Finally, on the fifteenth day since that incident, roughly one day before the first semester ended, Yosetsu had finally gathered up all his marbles and built up enough courage to approach the boy.

Yosetsu made sure he arrived early on the day where he would _try_ to speak to the Tail-boy, waking up and getting dressed as soon as he could. It even surprised his parents when they saw how fast he had got dressed, since he was usually sluggish and slow as he absolutely hated the idea of school, though for reasons that differed from the normal student. But they were still glad to see him seemingly excited to head to school… even if his reason for being up and leaving so early was different from what they had expected.

Once he got to the school and up to his classroom, Yosetsu was surprised to see that the room was almost entirely empty, save for the three girls and a random lad who were sitting in the middle of the classroom talking about… stuff. The only other person aside from the four was a single short boy in the _Bandai High_ uniform, looking as emotionless and blank as he was every other time Yosetsu had seen him. When Awase had walked in, the boy directed his gaze away from the corner of the room he was initially staring at to regard him, and those eyes… the total lack of emotion in them sent a chill up Yosetsu's spine, almost enough to make him reconsider approaching him. Thankfully, however, before he could do so, the Tail-boy turned away and stared into a corner of the classroom, something which calmed Awase down mildly.

So, after quickly placing his bag down over at his table, Yosetsu nervously went up to the Tail-kid and sat on the desk parallel to his. The Tail-boy didn't seem to notice Yosetsu, however, as he kept staring into the corner of the classroom, completely oblivious to his presence. For a long time, Yosetsu tried his best to push himself to say something to the boy, but he found that he had somehow lost all of his courage which he had built up over the course of more than two weeks, something that prevented him from speaking for what he felt to be the longest five minutes he had experienced, Yosetsu's mind did its best to fumble for something to say while the Tail-boy kept his gaze on the corner of the room. And finally, Yosetsu gave up, considering this attempt to be a failure and cursing his horribly nervous demeanor, until he finally noticed that the boy was glancing at him.

"What do you want?" asked the boy right as Awase had turned to face him, finally focusing on the boy, who nearly jumped at the sudden question from the tail-boy. His heart began beating intensely as he shook in fear, feeling all his formerly built up courage melt away as soon as he was addressed by the boy, but thankfully, before he could faint, the class bell rang out, and the person who sat next to the Tail-kid came to reclaim his seat. Swiftly, Awase retreated back to his seat, though as he did, Yosetsu couldn't help but mentally scold himself for missing that chance to at least introduce himself.

Once everyone had arrived in the class, and after the form teacher had slogged his way into class, he wasted no time in issuing some orders, and after announcing it, the teacher propped his glasses up higher on his nose all while Awase slouched down into his chair. He had just told them that they would be doing a 'pair up project', something Yosetsu both despised and feared. The kid despised it because he was, in short, not well liked in the slightest by any of his classmates thanks to his Quirk, and feared because he was always partnered up with Kio, who only use the opportunity to verbally assault the poor kid.

The fact that the project was about the _'what I want to be when I grow up'_ thing they did nearly two weeks ago, and the fact that his would-be partner had to write down what he said, didn't really help quell his fears. If he were honest, he'd rather die than to tell Kio why he wished to be a Hero. However, thanks to all his fears clouding his usually decent sense of judgement, Yosetsu didn't seem to notice how Kio seemed to be trying his hardest to avoid Yosetsu since the day the tail-kid saved him from getting a black eye.

Hell, just the thought of Kio partnering up with him made Yosetsu slam his head against his table in frustration, prompting the rest of the class to turn and look at him, but they, after a few quick chuckles from several in the crowd, they diverted their attention away from him and began to split up to form pairs, and the teacher didn't even give him more than a second glance as he passed him a piece of paper for the project. Yosetsu knew how this would go, either one of two ways. One way was if Yosetsu did this solo and during the end of class, he would have nothing to hand into the teacher, inevitably getting himself laughed at… again, and his teacher would file another report to his parents. The second option was that he'd get partnered with Kio and get teased into the next semester. He was expecting one or the other to happen as he kept his head against the table, grimacing mildly as he cursed his terrible luck..

But what he _didn't_ expect to happen, however, was for someone to sit down in front of his table in a non-dramatic way, and without slamming their feet onto his table as though it were their personal leg rest. For a moment, he suspected that it was someone who partnered up with the person who sat in front of him, at least until the one who sat there spoke up. "Are you awake?"

And that got Yosetsu to jerk his body upwards and spring his head up to face the speaker, his eyes wide and mouth slightly agape when he saw who the speaker was. One couldn't exactly blame him to react in such a way, however, as the one who was now in front of him was the one who had 'saved' him several days prior, his face still stoically neutral and his icy blue eyes regarding Yosetsu coldly. That cold gaze made the boy tense up, almost as though he was being encased in a block of ice just by having the boy stare at him, considering how, no matter how hard he tried, Yosetsu couldn't move any of his muscles.

Finally, after a few seconds, the Tail-kid seemed to notice that Awase had fallen into a mild trance, prompting him to snap his fingers in front of Yosetsu's face, an eyebrow raised. "Oi, you ok there?"

That prompted Yosetsu to snap out of it with a gasp, quickly shaking his head to regain his bearings, only to realize that the Tail-kid was not the only one who was staring at him. Swiveling his head to the side, Yosetsu noticed several others glancing at him. But unlike almost every other time, they were not looking at him in a mocking way, they were looking at him as though they were shocked. It was rather justified, however, as Yosetsu, of all people, had spoken to the least social kid in class. Hell, even his teacher seemed at least a little shaken.

A soft grunt snapped Awase out of his thoughts, prompting him to snap his head back and regarded the person in front of him once more. The tail-kid was just sitting there, with a piece of paper in his left hand and a partially broken pencil in his right, waiting with a seemingly bottomless pit of patience for Yosetsu to speak up. So, with all the courage he could muster, Yosetsu answered in the only way his brain would allow for him to. "I… I'm awake…!"

Those words came out louder than Yosetsu had intended, and he froze in fear when he realized that everyone was looking at him. A few of them, probably about two or four of in the class, Kio included, had small smirks planted on their faces, but for the most part, and much to Yosetsu's surprise, they seemed to look as though they pitied him, which was a first for him. Hell, even the teacher looked tense, his glasses slowly sliding down the bridge of his nose thanks to the oil building up on it.

The tension in the air was so thick that no one dared speak out in fear of breaking it. Finally, however, it was dispelled when the Tail-boy grunted, sounding almost amused. "I can see that."

Even if the tension had been dispelled, the rest of the class didn't seem ready to start talking up a storm. On the contrary, they spoke softly, practically whispering, about the minor 'event' which had just transpired, and a majority of them kept glancing over at Yosetsu's general direction to see if something happened every so often. Though Yosetsu couldn't really hear them completely, mainly because they were speaking so softly and partially because his ears were stuffed full of fear, he could make out some small snippets of several separate conversations, such as _"Thought he'd be dead"_ , _"He actually spoke with him"_ and most notably _"How'd that wimp speak to Mika…"_.

Thankfully, or not thankfully for Yosetsu's beating heart, the boy in front of him spoke up.

"You're Yosetsu Awase, right?" he asked, prompting Yosetsu to give the boy in front of him his full attention, and he noticed that he was doing the same. Those icy blue eyes of his bored massive holes into his. But still, Yosetsu did notice some hints of sincerity in those neutral blue orbs which were staring at him, almost as though he was genuinely curious about him. So, regathering all his built up courage, Yosetsu answered in the form of a nod, prompting the boy in front of him to write his name down, though it was misspelled and sloppily written, spelled _"YoSAtsoo AWaSs"_ , leading the boy to believe that the boy wasn't the greatest at english. "I'm _Mikazuki Augus_."

Quickly, Yosetsu nodded and spelled the boy's name down on his piece of paper. His words were neater, and correctly spelled, than Mika's interpretation of his name. He would have pointed it out to Mika, but he wasn't necessarily brave enough, so he kept his mouth shut as Mika looked at him, oblivious to the amount of eyes which were glancing at the pair.

"You're that boy," said Mika simply as he filled in other specifics onto his paper, such as the date and their class, albeit as messily as how he had spelt his name. "The one Kio kept targeting."

"Y-Yeah…" admitted Yosetsu quietly, scratching the back of his head in a truly nervous fashion as he did. Though within a few seconds, he quickly realized that he had yet to do something. "Hey… uh… I forgot to… thank you…"

"Ah," was his simple reply from Mikazuki, answering as though he performed a simple task instead of bringing the single, self proclaimed, strongest student of _Bandai High_ down to his knees. And, if he were honest, Yosetsu was left a little slack jawed at that. He had expected Mika to at least flash a proud grin, something like those characters which he saw on tv or on the _Youtube_ app on his phone after they beaten a strong enemy, not a simple "ah". But he quickly forgot about that when Mika spoke up again.

"What do you want to be in the future?" asked the boy simply, turning his head up to regard Yosetsu. He didn't sound exactly curious, perhaps mildly interested was the best word to describe how the boy seemed to currently be feeling, but to Yosetsu, it was probably the most nerve-wrecking question he had to answer in a long time. For most of his childhood, Yosetsu had never been asked such a question, and he had never shared anything personal out of fear of his classmates teasing him to Hell and back with some rather embarrassing snippets of his past.

But still, he did consider the fact that Mika, from what little he knew, was never seen teasing/bullying anyone. As a matter a' fact, he never remembered Mika participating in any kind of activity which could be considered 'abuse', mainly because, from all the times he's seen Mika, the boy was almost always seen in class, sitting on his desk, staring blankly at either the corner of the classroom, the whiteboard or out the window he was next to, something which reflected his passive nature.

If he were older and had better judgement, he would not have told Mika anything. But he was still a youngster, and he did consider the fact that Mika has 'saved' him from Kio all those days ago among a few other reasons, so he decided that Mika was probably trustworthy enough to tell.

"Well…" began Yosetsu, before sparing a quick glance at the rest of his class, who immediately turned back to their partners/papers to pretend to not be listening. Yosetsu took this as a warning for him to speak softly. "...I'll tell you… but can you keep it a secret… and not tell anyone in this school about this, please?"

Mika blank at that question before turning to regard his piece of paper. For a moment, Yosetsu's heart began beating even faster than a Bugatti on some intense variant of gas as he thought that Mika would simply shake his head and stand to find another partner, but it slowed down and returned close to it's normal rate when Mika nodded and placed his pencil down.

"Alright," was his answer, much to Yosetsu's relief as he rubbed his throat, trying to force his voice to work. Thankfully for him, Mika's patience seemed endless, so his one minute silence didn't annoy him.

"W-Well…" started Yosetsu, only for Mika to suddenly hold up a finger, making Yosetsu flinch in fear. And the fear only increased when Mika narrowed his eyes, but it was slightly replaced with confusion when the boy glanced behind his chair.

"Oi," said Mika, his cold eyes not leaving the area behind Yosetsu's chair. And the Welding boy couldn't help but notice a soft squeak when he said that, something which prompted Augus to lower his brows in annoyance. "Don't bother hiding. I know you're there."

When he finished saying that, a brown haired girl suddenly materialized behind Yosetsu, prompting him to yelp softly. The girl pouted in a vain effort to woo Mika into letting her stay and listen, but she decided to get the Hell out of there when the boy narrowed his eyes to a dangerous degree, a glare that promised to send her home with several bruises if she had not booked it. And once she was gone, Mika cleared his throat softly and sighed. "You were saying?"

"Y-Yeah…" said Yosetsu, scratching the back of his neck as the girl with the invisibility Quirk retreated back to her partner… Kio, he realized. Just knowing that Kio was still trying to find something to bug Yosetsu with, verbally or physically, made him feel a small amount of anger, but he quickly regained his senses and refocused on what he was meant to do, though he did speak in a rather hushed tone. "Well… I want to be a Hero because…"

For a short moment, Yosetsu hesitated once more, but he eventually got himself to force the reason out.

"Because I want to help save the lives of others…" he admitted, his head hung low as though he were ashamed of his reason. But it didn't stop him from continuing, not noting how Mika was simply writing the reason down with a neutral expression. "Also… because my dad… he's wanted to be a Hero since he was a kid… but he never managed to get into a Hero Academy. And… it may seem childish and it may not make much sense… but I want to become a Hero to at least try and make his dream partially come true…"

And the end of his sentence was followed by an unnervingly high amount of silence while Augus silently scribbled down some words on his piece of paper, making Yosetsu a little uneasy, prompting him to say something without thinking. "I… I know my reasons… they're kinda cliche and all… but…"

"It's cliche," agreed Mika, his eyes still staring at the piece of paper until he was done with the writing, prompting him to turn up to stare at Awase with an unprecedented amount of neutrality, but they didn't seem as cold as they usually were. Instead, they seemed a little impressed, if only just a little. "But it's still a reason nonetheless."

"I… I guess so…" agreed Yosetsu reluctantly, scratching the back of his head. And, unintentionally, Yosetsu gave a small smile, something which made all those who were still looking at the two flinch in shock. Yosetsu, even in Kio's memory, pretty much _never_ smiled in school.

"What's your Quirk?" asked Mika, some hints of curiosity in his tone. And Yosetsu very, _very_ hesitantly answered.

"It's… it's _Weld_ ," he said, and even if he knew that his Quirk was weak, it didn't mean that he didn't tell Mika what it was with some pride in his voice.

* * *

 **Yosetsu Awase**

 **Quirk: Weld**

 **By resting his palms against the surfaces of two touching items, Yosetsu is capable of welding them together at an atomic level. Unwelding objects he has welded together is possible, and he is capable of welding items onto living entities if needed. Items he welds together will stay welded for an indefinite amount of time.**

* * *

For a moment, Yosetsu expected Mika to give a mocking chuckle or something like that, but he was a tad surprised when he simply nodded. It was a rather respectful nod, Yosetsu noted, something he's almost never seen directed at him before. It almost made Yosetsu think that Mika actually respected him in some way…

Still, he was convinced that he was just delusional. He was pretty much a hundred percent sure that no one actually respected him, at least to his knowledge. It was most likely thanks to all those years of people, aside from his parents, looking down on him thanks to his Quirk, which made him stop hoping for someone to even give him a modicum of respect.

"It's your turn," said Mika once he was done, snapping Yosetsu out of his minor trance. The boy blank and shook his head, before letting a soft 'huh?' out of his lips, prompting Mika to repeat what he had said. "It's your turn to ask me."

"R-Right…" muttered Yosetsu, looking closely at his provided piece of paper. The boy fumbled for his pencil, a terribly short one thanks to constant sharpening, before he finally got a hold of it. And with a clear of his throat to make this seem more professional than it really was, something which amused the Augus to a certain degree, Yosetsu began asking. "What… do you want to be than you grow up…?"

Mika seemed to ponder that question for a short while, before answering. "A Hero."

Hero… of all the things he had expected Mika to wish to be, Awase had placed Hero at the very end of the list as, if he were to be asked about what he thought Mikazuki would want to be in the future, he'd earnestly reply with the fact that he expected Augus to want to be something less… noble? He supposed that was the word. But still, he kept that thought to himself. After all, Mika didn't say anything negative towards him when he told him, so he decided to do the same, only replying with a slight nod as he wrote down what Mika intended to be in the future. It took him a few seconds, and he looked up at Mika once he was done. "Well… why do you want to become a Hero?"

"Because _Takaki_ and _Orga_ suggested it," replied Mika, and it took Yosetsu a few seconds to process what he just said. And once he managed to get it all into his head, Yosetsu's face contorted into a comically shocked look which managed to get an amused huff out of Mika.

"...you want to be a Hero… because your friends suggested it…?" he asked, sounding bewildered. And that bewilderment only increased when Mika nodded. "But… are there any other reasons…?"

When he asked that, Mika blank and turned to look out the window, his head resting on his hand. For a long moment, Yosetsu wondered if he asked the wrong question, prompting him to start shaking in fear, before he noticed that Mika was _staring_ at something, a large structure, more specifically.

Narrowing his eyes to try and see what it is, and with half the class trying to do the same, Yosetsu only widened his eyes when he saw what Mika was looking at… the _Chryse Orphanage_. And it took him a few minutes to let the realization sink in.

The _Chryse Orphanage_ was built several years ago, not too long after the Quirk Phenomenon as a matter of fact. Its primary reason for being built was to house orphans whose Quirks caused their former parents to disown them. Their Quirks tended to be dangerous, life threatening, or even physically deforming types, at least that was what Yosetsu had heard, anyways. There also were many rumors that a majority of the children who were there grew up to be villains, but it was never confirmed.

But what was confirmed was that the _Chryse Orphanage_ housed many, many strong children, more so than Kio, though the kid wasn't willing to admit that. And according to what most knew, the place was not torn down because even the top dogs of the Niigata Prefecture weren't willing to destroy an orphanage, and even more didn't want to know the consequences of what the kids would do to them if they did.

And soon, Yosetsu quickly figured out what Mika was trying to tell him. He was from the Orphanage… and was most likely still living there to this day. And even some of the other kids let the realization sink in and turn to regard Mika with now wide eyes. But Mika, despite being the very center of attention at the moment, didn't seem phased in the least. Instead, he was… well… just as he usually was, stone faced and neutral to a T, as he turned his attention back to Yosetsu, who was now regarding Mika with newfound fear.

"You're…" began Yosetsu, nearly tripping over his own voice. "F-From… _Chryse_ …?"

A firm nod from Mika confirmed that, and Yosetsu quickly felt his fear grow five times more intense. His parents had always warned him to stay away from the _Chryse Orphanage_ and it's residents. And even Yosetsu, despite being the person who really wanted friends, did as he was told thanks to most of the rumors he's heard. Hell, the orphanage was the reason why he took a different, longer route home every day. But still… even if he was not necessarily keen towards kids from that Orphanage out of fear, there was something about Mika which somehow calmed him.

Perhaps it was because of some newfound respect towards Mika. The boy did seem to show some respect, however small, for him, after all, and the fact that he didn't laugh at him when he told him about his almost unreachable goal, which, to anyone else, would have been a very minor thing, but to Yosetsu, who's dreams and aspirations have been laughed at many, many times, it was the equivalent of shaking _All Might's_ hand and getting his autograph.

So, the boy sucked up all his fear, condensed it into a very, very small bubble and tossed it over to the far side of his mind before he gave a small, timid nod. "W-Well… are there any… other reasons…?"

"Orgakeeps telling me that people always consider kids from _Chryse_ to be nothing more than young villains," said Mika, and Yosetsu almost immediately got what he was talking about. "But they don't know that we're all just kids. We don't grow up to be villains."

Yosetsu gave a slight nod at that. He could see where Mika was coming from. Most of the Orphans of _Chryse_ , from what he he knew anyways, had dangerous Quirks. And on this day and age, dangerous Quirks tended to be considered a villains schtick, so it wasn't necessarily much of a surprise that almost everyone would villianise the orphanage.

"S-So…" said Yosetsu, poking his chin with his pencil thoughtfully. "You want to become a Hero not only because someone wanted you to… but also to…"

"To make other people consider _Chryse_ to be a normal orphanage instead of a Villains Orphanage. Someone from there becoming a Pro-Hero could make people think differently about us…" finished Mika with a nod. "If that's what you were going to say, then the answer is yes."

Once he finished, Yosetsu simply stared at him for a few minutes before nodding as he circled a question on his piece of paper labeled _"Do you think he/she will be able to succeed in his/her goal?"_. Yosetsu didn't need to ponder that question for more than a second, as he readily circled the 'yes' option.

And, as fate would have it, that was when the teacher of the class recalled all the papers which were given out. On that cue, Mika stood up and gave Yosetsu a slight nod before walking back to his seat. Yosetsu only gave a small, shy wave as he left, but on the inside, the inside, was probably feeling the happiest he's ever felt in many, many months.

* * *

 **About three days later**

Ever since that one little project in the class, Yosetsu's life took quite a drastic turn, to say the least.

Though he didn't really notice it at first, most of the students of his class seemed to look at him with some sort of reverence, even if it was very minor. The amount of teasing he'd receive dropped a noticeable amount, and even Kio, the self proclaimed king of _Bandai High_ when it came to strength and Quirks, showed some small amount of begrudging respect in his gaze whenever he'd glare at Yosetsu after that one day.

Of course, Yosetsu was not used to this, and the amount of non-hostile or mocking stares he was getting was very, very unnerving.

Regarding Mikazuki, Yosetsu noted that the boy seemed to go on as though that project never happened. It unnerved Yosetsu a little, and it even made him feel an odd amount of fear, as he thought that Mika was about to share information about him just to increase the amount of teasing he would get.

Those fears would stay with him for three whole days until the form teacher of his class came back in during the last lesson of the third day. He seemed as bored as he usually was, though there was something… off about him today, as though he were surprised about… something. But Yosetsu quickly ignored that as he greeted the class.

"Alright…" started the teacher as he arranged a decently sized stack of papers. "If you all remember from three days ago, I gave these paper reports out for you kids to fill in. It's regarding your future and stuff."

Most of the class mumbled positively at that, though Yosetsu stayed silent for obvious reasons. "Anyways, I'm returning the papers back to you. Keep em… and do whatever you want with them…"

With that said, the teacher began distributing the papers back to everyone. Yosetsu felt as he usually was, considering how these things usually went. He'd get a negative answer on his paper, something that was extremely normal for him.

But that thought was blown out of his mind when he got his paper back and actually read what was written. It made him widen his eyes in shock, and the boy almost broke down into tears right there and then after seeing what was on the paper.

* * *

 **Several hours later at night, Awase Residence**

In the dark night of the Niigata Prefecture, a middle aged woman entered the Awase Residence. She stood at a little under two metres, wearing a female mechanic's outfit with multiple tools strapped onto her waist, and with her hair tied onto a small, messy ponytail. She had olive green eyes atop a youthful face, one which was a little greased up thanks to her job as a mechanic, and a pair of mechanic goggles which rested on the top of her head.

The lady was none other than Mrs Awase, or, as she was more commonly known as, Yuuko Kamishiro, the woman married to Takumi Awase. Of course, Yosetsu was brought out from this relationship. And while most people looked down on the _Welding_ boy for his Quirk, both her and Takumi absolutely loved him for it, mainly because it was the perfect combination of both their Quirks, and also for other reasons, such as him being their son.

The woman was often home first after her job at the _Acceleron Welding Company_ , usually because she was always worried sick about her little Yosetsu. Yuuko would have left for home at about six in the evening, but due to job related issues, she had to go home a little later than usual on this one day.

She and her husband were aware that their young Welder was a victim of the bullies of _Bandai High School_ , and of course, her maternal instincts always prompted her to return home as early as she could to check on him. The two did try their best to stop all of this, but they never managed it as they tended to not have any evidence of any physical or verbal abuse on their son. And even if they did, Kio himself was a rather impressive manipulator for his age, able to speak his way out of any school related situation he got himself into.

Most of the time when she got home, she'd find her little boy sleeping on his table, specifically sitting on his chair with his head on his table and his arms as makeshift pillows. It made her heart ache every time she saw that, though she had always kept her mouth shut, usually carrying Yosetsu into bed everyday. But today, as a pleasant surprise to her, Yuuko had found that Yosetsu was not sleeping on his table this night. Instead, he was laying down on his bed, snoring peacefully under his blanket. Yuuko gave a gentle smile which only a mother could master when she saw her young child lying there, the lamp of his table still turned on, probably because he forgot about it.

Very slowly moving to her boy's side, Yuuko bent down and gently trailed a hand through Yosetsu's hair. The boy did stir in his sleep a tad when she did, though he thankfully never did, even if he did mumble a tad.

"Five more minutes, mummy…" muttered Yosetsu sleepily as he shifted to his side, prompting Yuuko to smile as she did her best to hold in a chuckle before standing back up. She didn't really want to wake him up, so she decided to let him rest, though she did intend to turn his table lamp off before leaving.

Though before she could… she paused. After lowering her brows, she noticed a small slip of paper that was under her son's headband, keeping it from flying off into the distance. Curious, Yuuko gently pulled it out from under the headband and quickly read it… and she swiftly found her heart stopping for a handful of seconds when she finished reading the slip of paper.

Bringing a hand up to her mouth to stifle a squeal, Yuuko did her best to reread the piece of paper to make sure she got the details right. And sure enough, she did. The slip of paper in her hand was in regards to a pair up project, and Yosetsu was paired up with a different lad, _Mikazuki Augus_ , and not Kio for once.

A majority of the paper wasn't exactly what she expected. Mikazuki seemed to at least show some respect for her son, something which was shown in his writing. The boy spoke of how Yosetsu did have potential to become a Hero, only having to fix his nervous demeanor and perhaps gain some muscles to get himself on the right track. Aside from that, this Mika boy stated that Yosetsu seemed to have enough heart to become a good Hero, specifically a Rescue Hero thanks to his Quirk.

As Yuuko had read the piece of paper, she found herself wanting to know more about this Mika boy. He seemed to be almost a friend to her son, and just knowing that Yosetsu finally had someone to potentially call a friend made her smile. However, before she could really do anything else, Yuuko heard Yosetsu stir softly in his bed, and she swiftly placed the piece of paper back down on the table, under her son's headband, right before he opened his eyes to regard her groggily.

"M-Mum…?" muttered Yosetsu tiredly as he yawned. "You're home early…"

"A-Ah…" responded Yuuko as she crouched down to pat her son's head. She did want to ask him about this Mika boy, though she held her tongue as she knew her son needed sleep. "You should get some rest, dear… I'm sure it's been a tiring day for you…"

"Mmm…" was her response from Awase as the boy's slowly shut themselves. "It… wasn't too bad…"

And at that, he fell back asleep, leaving Yuuko to smile and plant a gentle kiss on her son's forehead. Standing back up, she swiftly turned the still active table lamp on his table and turned it off.

"Goodnight, dear," muttered Yuuko before she turned to leave, giving her son the time to rest for the next day. She hoped that the boy would tell them about this Mika boy someday, though she wouldn't push him if he didn't wish to.

After all, things don't change in a single day. She suspected that Yosetsu would need some time to speak of this Mika boy. And she was fine with that. Both she and her husband were endlessly patient, after all.

* * *

 **It seems as though my living days are numbered now. I can** _ **smell**_ **the IBO and BNHA communities coming for my ass.**

 **In all seriousness though, if you've read my third chapter of** _ **Tekketsu No Kyojin**_ **(shameless self promotion here), you would have known that I currently have 4 stories in the pipeline right now. And what you've just read is the first of the bunch. 90% sure that this'll end in the death of my fanfic account, but you gotta take risks sometimes, ya know?**

 **If you haven't picked it up yet, this story will not be focused on Izuku Midoriya or any other Class 1-A student, though they'll get cameos or mentions. Instead, we're shifting our focus onto class 1-B, specifically Yosetsu Awase who replaces Izuku in this story. And regarding other B characters, we'll get there eventually. Oh, and why'd I choose these side characters over the possibly superior 1-A? Because side characters need love, my boy.**

 **And yes, regarding Mikazuki Augus. He's basically the reverse Bokugou of the story. Where Katsuki is the egotistical childhood bully and psychopath to Izuku, Mika is the stone cold friend and 'brother figure', if you will, to Yosetsu. And regarding his Quirk, it's basically the Rex Tail. There is another part of his Quirk, however… but we'll cover that in a later chapter.**

 **Finally, a very,** _ **VERY**_ **special shoutout to my boi,** _ **Fortresshunter**_ **. The bastard was the one who introduced me to Boku No Hero Academia, and I can't thank him enough for that. So, indirectly, Fortress has peer pressured me into writing this story. Meaning if you wanna kill me for writing this shiz, go take an arm off him as well.**

 **(Note: I'm just kidding. Fortress is an awesome dude and you shouldn't go take an arm off him. Instead, go check out his stories. He's a good author :3)**

 **Right, see you next time *tips hat***

 **Edited on: 4/5/2019**


	2. A trip to Chryse

It was said that life was neither easy nor fair, and Yosetsu had learnt that lesson many, many times.

He learnt that life would never stop and start at his, or anyone's convenience, and that it would throw wave after wave of punishment at anyone without mercy. To get through the travesty known as life, one would have to either toughen themselves up to withstand the punishment or to simply give up.

However, on occasion, life would lay off it's punishment and give his victims a small prize for surviving for so long, a small amount of happiness, so to speak. Many people have been given these 'prizes' multiple times throughout their lives, though others tended to have theirs delayed, sometimes for long stretches of time. And, unfortunately, Yosetsu was among the latter half. For years, the kid has been smacked in the head by wave after wave of punishment with no foreseeable prize in sight, at least until he met a certain someone.

On one of his last days in his first year of secondary school, when he was at the age of thirteen, Yosetsu had come face to face with a certain boy from a rather… infamous orphanage, aptly named Mikazuki Augus, and it was then where he got the prize which life had held away from him for so long.

If he were honest, Yosetsu had thought him meeting Mika was another punishment disguised as a prize, as, after the _Chryse_ child had first made contact with by saving his ass from Kio, he was virtually ignored by him for nearly a week. In truth, however, it was the complete opposite, as he eventually found that the boy not only thought that he _could_ become a Hero, but he was actually rather nice towards him. But little did Yosetsu know that it was just the very start of an… interesting friendship.

Following the day where Mika had written down that Yosetsu could become a Hero, the Welding boy found that Mika seemed to stick relatively closed to him, almost like a protective older brother, for the lack of a better term, hovering over his shoulder and keeping most people away. Augus even went ahead and sat beside Yosetsu during their break periods. And, while having the boy sit beside him did unnerve Yosetsu a tad, he found himself get used to Mika's presence after about a week or two. He even found himself wanting to become the Tail-boy's friend on several occasions, but he never voiced that thought out of the lack of self confidence.

However, not voicing that thought out wasn't that hard, as Yosetsu had never really got the courage to speak to Mika, and the Tail-boy didn't seem interested in starting any conversations with him. The most he managed to get was an acknowledging grunt from Mika whenever he stared at him for too long. It was a normal grunt, not exactly friendly, but not hostile either, somewhere more in between. Still, over time, Yosetsu did noticed that Mika's usual glare softened into an almost friendly one. Even so, Yosetsu never managed to get enough guts to speak to Mika, feeling perfectly content with just having him there beside him

However, somewhere close to the halfway point of their second school semester, when the two sat beside each other (again) during their recess break on a Friday, Mika began their first proper conversation together by asking a rather… odd, and in some ways unnerving, question to Yosetsu as he bit into the bread his mother had made for him.

* * *

"Oi, Yosetsu," started Mika after a long period of silence, making Yosetsu jerk up a little and turn to face Mika, and he swore that he saw a hint of amusement in the boy's blue eyes when he had turned to face him, but he thought very little of it as the boy continued. "I got a question for you."

Blinking, Yosetsu gave a nod, and Mika continued.

"Have you been to the _Chryse Orphanage_?" asked Mika, his expression remaining neutral as Yosetsu let that question sink in.

"...n-no," replied Yosetsu, unconsciously placing his bread back into his lunchbox. He had a feeling he knew where this conversation was going, but he couldn't really concentrate on that thought as he stared at Augus. "W-Why?"

"Some of my friends want to meet you," was his answer, straight and simple. "Consider it an invitation to the _Chryse Orphanage_."

Yosetsu's reaction to that was rather mixed to say the least. On one hand, Yosetsu was still rather a little uncertain about how he felt about the _Chryse Orphanage_. While Mika was certainly a good first impression to it, the horrible reputation of the orphanage was a very strong put off… but on the other hand… Mika himself didn't seem to be bad at all. That, and despite knowing no one else in the orphanage outside of the Tail-boy, Yosetsu _does_ know that at least two, named Orga and Takaki apparently, of them did suggest that he become a Hero, suggesting to Yosetsu that they were at least a little juvial in nature, perhaps childish, even. That prospect interested Yosetsu as, if they were as juvial as he was suspecting they were, then he would most definitely love to meet them… with the only thing keeping him from doing so being his paranoid self.

Yosetsu himself had apparently fallen into a trance, as he found himself staring into a random corner of the cafeteria, long enough to make Mikazuki snap his fingers in front of his face, _snapping_ him out of his mild trance and prompting him to blink and shake his head intensely. It took a few seconds for him to regain his marbles, and by then, all he could do was to stare at Augus and ask a simple: "...wha?"

"You alright?" asked Mika flatly, and Yosetsu's face lit up in embarrassment as he chuckled antsily. Augus tilted his head over to the side and, in a shocking twist, gave Awase a rather innocent confused look, a look that made Yosetsu recoil mildly before he cleared his throat.

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright…!" replied Yosetsu, scratching the back of his head as Mika stared at him in mild amusement. "I… erm… I was just thinking about that… offer…"

"Ah," replied Mika, reaching into his pocket. And after a few seconds, his hand slid back out, a raisin between his index finger and thumb. It was an odd sight to Yosetsu when Mika first began sitting beside him, but he found himself getting used to seeing the boy pull a raisin out of his pocket at random points in time and popping it into his mouth nonchalantly. After Mika shoved it into his mouth and, after some chewing, swallowed it, he continued. "Merribit-San and the others want to meet you."

"W-Well…" began Yosetsu, trying his best to articulate what he was trying to say. "About that… my parents… don't really want me to go near _Chryse_ …"

Mika only shrugged at that. His body language didn't tell Yosetsu that Mika was offended at that statement. If anything, he appeared to be as he always was, looking as neutral as ever. "I understand. Merribit-San says that people are scared of us. She says it's because they don't know us personally."

Merribit Stapleton… Yosetsu knew about her at least by name. She was the owner of the orphanage Mika considered home, and a ton of people in _Bandai High_ considered her the devil and the orphans under her wing to be her servants, or something along those lines. Yosetsu never really considered her a devil, mainly because he's never seen her before and he wasn't willing to make such rash assumptions, though it didn't mean that he necessarily thought too positively of her. Still, his time with Mika did change his mind a tad. After all, Merribit was the owner of the _Chryse Orphanage_ , wasn't she? If so, she probably was the one who raised the children, and if she raised Mika for a majority of his childhood among other kids, and considering how he turned out, perhaps she wouldn't be too bad, at least.

"What… what does that have to do with me being invited?" asked Yosetsu, and he felt his insides churning intensely as he wondered if he had worded his question correctly. But, as usual, Mika didn't seem to take any offence, and if he did, he was doing a bang up job at not showing it.

"I told Merribit-San about you," replied Mika, popping another raisin into his mouth as he continued, speaking as he chewed. "She said she was interested in you, since you weren't afraid of me even if I'm from _Chryse_. Interested enough to want to meet you in person. The same applies to everyone else."

"She… and your friends want to meet me… because she thinks I'm interesting?" repeated Yosetsu, blinking in surprise as he never expected anyone to consider him interesting. That, and his fears regarding Mika were not exactly gone. A large portion of Yosetsu's mind was still fearful of Augus, even if he did get used to his presence.

"Ah," answered Mika with a subtle nod as he popped another raisin into his mouth. "She says it's alright if you don't want to come visit. Just remember one thing, though."

"... and what's that?"

" _Chryse's_ doors are always open to you or your parents if any of you ever want to visit."

And for one of the first times since Mika first spoke to him, Yosetsu swore that he heard some form of friendliness in his tone. So much so that he swore that Augus actually sounded as though he _wanted_ to be his friend and not the other way around. Though before he could really say anything in response to the boy, the 'end of break' bell sounded, prompting Mika to stand up from his table.

"See you in class," said the boy, his slightly friendly tone gone now. But it didn't really make Yosetsu wonder, as an even bigger question was burnt into his mind, the question of if he should take the offer.

* * *

 **A handful of days later**

Dinner in the Awase household was always basic, but it always satisfied and filled the tummies of the three residents. Yuuko was, at least to Takumi and Yosetsu, the perfect cook, even if she did cook the same things every day, primarily fresh white rice topped with several other things, though to her credit she did cook many toppings to compensate for that. Neither her husband nor her son voiced out how gluttonous she really was, mainly out of respect for her.

Most of the time on the dining table, Yosetsu would be silent, only speaking only when either of his parents asked him a question and nothing more. It was more or less the only sign of something being wrong to both Takumi and Yuuko. And unfortunately, Yosetsu usually stayed silent almost every single day, which was essentially a sign to his parents that his school life was miserable. They did do their best to help, but Yosetsu kept denying anything. It worried them to no end, to say the least.

But things seemed to have changed ever since the day Yosetsu got that piece of paper back from school, one with the boy called 'Mikazuki's' name on it. Since them, the kid's mood seemed to have lighten up, relatively speaking, speaking more often and acting happier than usual, even seeking them out to have a conversation when they were home. It was a rather surprising one eighty turn in personality to his parents, but they didn't complain. After all, their kid was finally smiling on a regular basis after so many years of looking empty. Both of them had a hunch that he may have made a friend, perhaps that 'Mika' child which apparently believed that he could be a Hero, but they kept that thought to themselves out of respect for their child's privacy.

However, that seemed to change almost a month after he met this 'Mika' boy. Rather abruptly, when he came home looking rather moody, as though he were thinking about something with every fiber of his being. If it were a month ago, it would be normal to both of his parents. But now… it was rather odd to see their boy with a frown as he sat there on the table, poking his rice with his spoon as he thought.

Finally, after about two minutes of awkward silence, Takumi cleared his throat, catching his son's attention, with Yosetsu nearly jumping out of his skin when he did, though he quickly calmed down, making the older Awase chuckle. He never knew why, but his son was very easily scared, usually more so by him than Yuuko. Was he really that scary, though? His voice was fairly high for his age, and his dark red hair sat atop an extremely non-threatening face. His attire didn't really make him look any more threatening, anyways, with his dark brown shirt with a circle and cross on the front and back, respectively, and light brown jeans. Maybe it was because his kid was a balled up sack of nervous energy. Possibly that.

"Yosetsu," began Takumi, placing his own spoon down as he turned to face Yosetsu, who was still calming himself down. Takumi waited a few seconds for him to fully calm down before continuing. "I noticed that you're… erm…"

"You've been acting off today," finished Yuuko as she blank at her kid from her side of her table. And what followed was about ten seconds of very awkward silence before Yuuko went on. "Yosetsu, we're worried about you… for the past few days, you've been happier than usual, something which we're happy about. But today…"

"You're the complete opposite," said Takumi quickly, and Yuuko gave him a glare when he said that. As for Yosetsu, he silently wished that he just disappeared right there and then. His current… issue was something which he would much prefer to keep a secret, considering how his parents were rather justifiably wary of _Chryse_ and most of its occupants. And considering how Mika was a resident of _Chryse_ , and since Yosetsu really didn't want to lose Mika as an… acquaintance, he had never told them about the boy. He feared that if he told them about where his only real acquaintance was really from, they would go crazy with the punishments. It was mainly thanks to his paranoia which made him think that way, however.

"Yosetsu…" piped up Yuuko after some time, placing her hand atop Yosetsu's. And it was just then when the boy realized that his hand was shaking, though Yuuko did manage to calm it down just a little. "Is this about that Mikazuki child?"

And Yosetsu's paranoid fear had nearly overwhelmed every other sense in his body when Yuuko asked him that. The boy tried his very best to suppress that irrational fear, and to his credit, he managed to keep most of it at bay, though the small amount which got out made him shake in fear, making Yuuko and Takumi flinch a tad.

"Yosetsu… you don't need to tell us if you don't want to," assured Takumi, placing his own hand atop Yosetsu's as he gave his son a gentle, reassuring smile, one which only he had mastered. And even after being his son for nearly fourteen years, Yosetsu still never figured out why it always calmed him down. Though this time, it did a little more than calm him down. It also made him feel… guilty.

Both of his parents were worried about him, over an issue which he had no real right to keep from them. His current paranoid fear didn't do much to help the issue, and that smile Takumi which gave him was essentially the straw which pulverised the camel's back, prompting him to speak up.

"It's… sort of relating to Mika," replied Yosetsu, making both Takumi and Yuuko lean closer to him to listen. And he swore that Takumi had a dangerously protective look in his eyes, as though he'd kill Mika and bury him fifteen feet under if he found out that his child had a new bully. As for Yuuko, she seemed more worried than anything. Neither of them seemed willing to wait for too long, so Yosetsu took in a huge intake of air before replying.

"Mikazuki-San…" said Yosetsu, lowering his voice out of nervousness. "He… he's from… _Chryse_ …"

And there was an awkward moment of silence when he announced that. It stretched on for much longer than Yosetsu expected as Takumi and Yuuko let what their son told them sink into their brains. Takumi was the first to recover from the initial shock, though he stayed silent and placed a hand on his chin as he leaned back on his chair, closing his eyes as though he were deep in thought. As for Yuuko, she recovered a little slower, but when she did, the woman cleared her throat.

"Y-Yosetsu…" she began sounding a little between angered and worried, more so the latter than the former as she really didn't want to raise her voice at her kid. She took a second to compose herself, before continuing. "Are you sure that Mikazuki is really… from _Chryse_?"

"He is!" replied Yosetsu, louder than he had intended. It made him flinch, considering how that was the loudest he's been in a few years, but he quickly recomposed himself, before essentially exploding and blasting his parents with wave after wave of positive things regarding Mika. "B-But… he's not what you think he is! M-Mika-San is a nice guy… even if he's usually quiet. He doesn't seem to be a villain… a-and-"

"Yosetsu," spoke up Takumi, cutting Yosetsu off as both he and Yuuko turned towards him. He sounded rather stern, though there were hints of curiosity… and even some small bits of admiration towards his son, as though he were impressed that Yosetsu had befriended a _Chryse_ child. Even so, it didn't stop Yosetsu from getting a chill up his spine as this was the first time he heard his father sound genuinely upset, even if it wasn't too much. "This Mika person, what do you think of him?"

"I… well… erm…" began Yosetsu, stumbling over his words as he tried to calm his shaky tone. Takumi seemed to notice that and softened the look in his eyes and cleared his throat, which was intended to try and calm his kid down, though it did the opposite and nearly gave Yosetsu a heart attack.

"Yosetsu, is he like Kio…?" asked Takumi, his overprotective tone sounding more apparent, even if he tried his best to mask it with his usual tone. "If he is… well…"

The way Takumi said the last four words made Yosetsu's paranoia go into overdrive. Out of instinct, the boy shot his arms up and waved them around frantically, making both his parents flinch and jerk back a tad.

"N-NO!" replied Yosetsu, shouting for one of the few times in his life, making Takumi and Yuuko jerk back even more with eyes wide and mouths agape, with Yuuko's more so than Takumi. Quickly, Yosetsu gave his apologies and shakily continued. "Well… you see… Mika… even if he's from _Chryse_ … he isn't as bad as what most people would describe someone from there…"

"In that case," said Takumi, looking thoughtful as he spoke. "Could you tell us what _you_ think of him?"

And over the course of the next thirty minutes, Yosetsu went through the rigorous procedure of talking about every last positive aspect of Mikazuki Augus, or at least those which he knew of. He didn't know too much about the boy, aside from his name, age, where he came from, his willingness to be a Hero and the fact that he liked him, perhaps not as a friend, more of an acquaintance, if he were honest. Takumi and Yuuko asked minimal questions in between, only looking surprised when Yosetsu said that he was actually stronger than Kio.

When Yosetsu was finally done, Takumi leaned back on his chair, holding his chin between his index finger and thumb once again in his usual thinking position. As for Yuuko, she stayed silent as she tried to process everything Yosetsu had said. And with poor Yosetsu, the boy was close to a nervous breakdown, with beads of sweat sliding down his scalp as he watched Takumi think. Right when he thought he was about to lose it, however, his father spoke up.

"Mikazuki Augus… you trust this boy, yes?" asked Takumi, one eyebrow raised as he glanced at Yosetsu, who jerked up a little at the question, but he got over it relatively quickly and replied with a studdery "Yes!". With his reply, Takumi went silent again, before speaking up after a few seconds. "Well… if you trust him as much as you do… and considering the positive things we've heard of him thus far… then I suppose there's no real reason to at least visit him…"

When he said that, Yuuko seemed ready to argue against that, but Takumi held up a finger. "I know your concerns, Yuuko… but if Yosetsu believes that his… erm… _friend_ isn't going to do anything to him… I see no reason to not trust him. Besides, he's our son. What kinda parents would we be if we _didn't_ trust him, eh?"

Though what he was saying was most likely meant to sound serious, Takumi perhaps filled it with just a pinch too much sarcasm, making what he said sound less serious than he had intended. Noticing it, the man cleared his throat. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm allowing you to visit your friend…"

And internally, Yosetsu felt half grateful and half scared at the prospect.

"... on **one** condition," continued Takumi, making both Yuuko and Yosetsu look at him, holding their breaths. "Both me and Yuuko will be accompanying you to _Chryse_ , which means you'll be going in… about a day from now."

Yosetsu believed that he should have been intimidated by that prospect. From what he knew, most kids prefered to take adventures into relatively unknown places by themselves, without the presence of their parents, usually for the sake of adventure and the thrill of possible danger. Most of the time they were at his age. But for some reason, Yosetsu didn't feel as such, even if he had tried. It was probably because he always felt safe when he was around either one of his parents, as though they were able to protect him from even the vilest of villains.

So, with a nervous cough, Yosetsu gave a nod. "A-Alright…"

With that said, Takumi smiled and clapped his hands together.

"Alright now, it's settled! On Sunday, we're taking a trip to _Chryse_! Let's just hope that we make it back alive though."

That thought probably made Yosetsu lose his appetite.

* * *

 **Two days later**

Yosetsu didn't know what he had expected what _Chryse_ was going to look like. The boy had spent most of his childhood avoiding the place thanks to the advice of his parents, and when he was younger and had just recently heard of the place, he had built up a mental image of the orphanage to be something like a massive castle straight out of a final boss in a video game.

When he was older and with a more logical thinking mind, Yosetsu began thinking of it more as an abandoned house, with the buildings which were closest to it being abandoned as well. That thought stayed in his mind for a long time, at least until now, when he and his parents were standing in front of the orphanage, the place they avoided for a majority of their lives, dressed in their casual attire, where they found out what it really looked like.

The building was just barely taller than a normal apartment, perhaps a two story house with an attic and several windows. For the most part, the orphanage looked like a normal apartment, at least until the three noticed the admittedly impressive looking graffiti artwork which covered the building from top to bottom. They looked rather professionally drawn, perhaps with a spray can, and the most notable pieces of graffiti was one which resembled a red flower of sorts, with another greatly resembling _Bael_ himself in his armour. Others included some sort of spaceship and a trio of giant robots.

While Yosetsu and Takumi were more focused on the beautifully chaotic graffiti art, Yuuko noticed that there were what one could consider burn marks on certain parts of the building, primarily the edges of the building and under some of the paint. Raising her eyebrows, Yuuko tapped her chin as she wondered if a fire had started in the place before, though to her knowledge, it had never happened.

"So…" piped up Takumi after a few seconds of silence as they stood in front of the orphanage. "Shall we?"

"Don't see why not," replied Yuuko with a nod, prompting the trio to walk towards the Orphanage entrance, a single sturdy wooden, graffiti ridden door. Takumi raised an arm to knock on the thing, though he stopped at the last second before deciding to let his son do so, mainly because he was the reason as to why they were here. Yosetsu was hesitant, but he nodded at that and knocked on the door three times. And between the first and second knock, he heard someone fall onto the floor, perhaps from a chair.

" _Ooooh… that hurt…"_ said someone inside the orphanage, sounding rather hurt. The voice was rather high pitched and distinctively male, at least from what the three outside could tell, though Takumi thought that it sounded a little sleepy, making him think that they unintentionally woke the speaker up from a nap, perhaps on a chair. And that thought was sort of confirmed when he heard a chair be dragged and placed upright. _"Ah, erm…"_

" _Shino?"_ came a rather young sounding female voice, sounding calm, worried and polite all at the same time, from somewhere further back. _"Are you alright?"_

" _Ah, Merribit-Senpai!"_ replied the person who was apparently called 'Shino', his voice in a fairly high register. _"I think we got some visitors!"_

" _Well… could you please get the door?"_ asked the person who was apparently called Merribit, whom they knew as the owner of _Chryse_ , and within a few seconds, the trio heard someone approach the opposite end of the door to the orphanage.

And, without any kind of warning, the door to the orphanage swung open inwardly with an impressive amount of force, making the Awase family jump back in shock. Though when they recovered, they saw that the person who swung the door open was not exactly who they expected.

He stood barely taller than Takumi, with brown hair and eyes. He wore a sleeveless shirt which was coloured orange and a pair of medium brown jeans which had twin knee pads. However, the most prominent feature on the boy was his… muscles. Just his arms themselves were lined with muscles which seemed to be strong enough to choke Takumi with very little effort. The Awase family would have felt intimidated at the sight of him, but something held him back from looking menacing. It was his probably his… overly friendly look.

Despite the fact that he was possibly able to kill his entire family, or at least knock all of them out with a single punch, the boy called 'Shino' had what Yosetsu would consider to be the friendliest smile he's ever seen. And, surprisingly, the three of them noted that the smile didn't look forced in the slightest. Instead, it seemed… genuine. Like a kid welcoming a friend into his home with carefree glee.

"Well, hello there!" greeted 'Shino' with a smirk, snapping Yosetsu out of his minor trance. And even in his voice, Shino's friendliness sounded completely authentic. "You here for a visit, or something? Maybe you're looking to adopt a kid to give your son a sibling?"

"Actually…" began Takumi, clearing his throat as he remembered Yosetsu telling him that he was always welcomed to _Chryse_. "I guess we're here for a visit…"

"A visit, eh?" said Shino, rubbing his chin as he sounded a little surprised. "Well, that's kinda unexpected. I thought you were kinda bringing us an orphan or… hold up for a sec'..."

Trailing off at the last few words, Shino turned his full attention towards Yosetsu, narrowing his eyes as he bent forwards to get a closer look at the child. Shino's brown eyes examined Yosetsu closely, staying zoned in on him just long enough to make the boy feel uncomfortable, something both Takumi and Yuuko took note of, prompting them to go on edge. Thankfully, however, Shino straightened himself back up before either parent could voice their uneasiness regarding his current behavior and spoke up.

"Whoa now, you're… Yosetsu Awase, right?" asked Shino, scratching the back of his head as he sounded a tad embarrassed. And his embarrassment became more apparent when Yosetsu and his parents nodded, causing his face to turn red and for him to scratch his cheek with his index, his smile faltering a tad.

Shino stayed silent for a few more minutes while he looked around awkwardly, making the Awase family rather uncomfortable as he did, before his smile went back to normal.

"Well, I don't know you personally, but I do know that Mika trusts ya enough to invite you over to the Orphanage, so I don't see why I shouldn't trust either you or your… parents? You're his parents right?" asked the tall boy with a smile, and both Takumi and Yuuko nodded before Shino went on. "So, why don't you guys come in? Or do you prefer to just stand here or something?"

With that said, Shino took a step back to give the trio some room to enter. Yosetsu was hesitant, but a look at Shino somehow managed to calm him down. He didn't know why, but Shino was like some sort of orb of happiness, always radiating positive vibes so strong that it managed to calm Yosetsu's paranoid fear. Thanks to that, Yosetsu was the first one to step into the _Chryse Orphanage_ , followed by Takumi and finally Yuuko.

And, if they were honest, the interior surprised the trio more than the exterior.

The exterior of the building was chaotically beautiful, with graffiti taggings on every inch of the building and the occasional scorch mark. The interior, however, was more chaotic and not so much beautiful. Sure, there were still a few small graffiti images, but it was still considerably cleaner than the exterior. The place had about three rooms, not including the living room. From where they stood, the Awase family could tell that one of the three rooms, the largest of the three, was a kitchen.

As for the room they were currently in, ie the living room, there were two couches and several cabinets which were all bought from different manufacturers. At the far side of the room was a decently sized television which was playing a show which involved _All Might_ and _Endeavour_. It made Yosetsu think that Shino fell asleep while watching it.

Beside the TV, at the far right side of the orphanage against the wall, was a staircase which led most likely to the second floor of the house. Takumi also noted three young looking boys staring at them from inside the kitchen.

"Shino?" came what seemed to be Merribit's voice again, making the trio turn up and see the lady herself. And just like Shino, her appearance surprised the three of them. Yosetsu, when he first heard of Merribit back when he was about… six or seven, had built up a mental image of her being a witch or one of those cartoonish female monsters from the shows he watched as a child. When he was older, his thoughts on her physical appearance and personality did change, and he ended up thinking of her as being one of those female antagonists from various anime he watched on his phone.

However, when he saw her with his own two eyes, he realized that both of his mental recreations of Merribit were completely wrong. Standing at around Yuuko's height, Merribit seemed to be somewhere in her early twenties, with a youthful face which was topped by a patch of neatly combed blonde hair. Her eyes were a medium shade of grey, and they somehow made her look younger. Hell, she was cute enough to make Takumi look away a tad with a decently red face.

"May I ask who these are?" asked Merribit, sounding rather confused as she turned to glance at him with loosely crossed arms.

"Well, it's simple," replied Shino with a smile as he jerked his thumb at Yosetsu, who stepped back a tad in surprise. "The kid's Yosetsu, that kid Mika met… erm… a month ago…?"

At the end of his sentence, Shino trailed off a tad, before he turned and looked at Yosetsu. "It was a month ago, right?"

"Y-Yes…" replied Yosetsu with a slight nod, making Shino smile and give the Welding boy a thumbs up.

"Well, yeah!" said Shino triumphantly as he turned back to Merribit. "A month ago!"

Merribit let what Shino said sink in, taking at least a second or two to do so. And once the time was up, she simply looked at Yosetsu's family with a smile. "I see… it is a pleasure to meet all of you," she said wholeheartedly, bowing her head down respectfully. Takumi and Yuuko blank in surprise, and that surprise only grew when she extended a hand out for a handshake. "I am _Merribit Stapleton_ , but please, call me Merribit."

Looking at her relatively small hand in comparison to his, Takumi gave a surprise huff before he reluctantly accepted the handshake. "I'm Takumi Awase, Yosetsu's father."

"And I am Yuuko Kamishiro," added Yuuko with a polite nod.

Over by the side, Yosetsu was about to introduce himself out of general politeness, but before he could, the boy noticed the trio of kids who were staring at him and his parents moments ago making their way towards them. As they did, Yosetsu got a closer look at what they looked like.

The group was made of two blondes and one with ginger hair. One of the two blondes had blue eyes while the other had light green ones, and the lone ginger boy had light brown eyes. The blue eyed blonde had rather messy hair while the green eyed one had neatly combed locks of yellow hair which was parted more towards the left, which covered his left eye. As for the ginger, his was more in between. His hair was neither messy nor neat, somewhere in between.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd come over instead of hiding in that corner!" teased Shino as he placed a hand atop the blue eyed blonde's head, ruffling his hair up quite a bit. And for whatever reason, the blonde actually _blushed_ when he did. "Well whaddya waiting for, you three? Introduce yourselves!"

At that, the first to introduce themselves to the family was the ginger, who smirked fiercely. And, for whatever reason, Yosetsu found that the kid, like Shino, radiate positive energy as he went right up in front of the trio, arms on his hips and smirking confidently. "Name's _Ride Mass_ , but cha' can just call me Ride!"

Up next was the green eyed blonde. He gently brushed past Ride with a smile as he bowed his head out of respect towards the three. Like Ride, he seemed to be a friendly one, but not to an extreme extent. His friendly nature seemed to be more toned down, and overall he seemed to act more mature than Ride. "I'm _Takaki Uno_. Don't mind Ride, he's always eager to meet a potential friend."

Takumi simply smiled at that. The man couldn't necessarily fault the kid for being eager. He did look to be more or less ten years of age, at least in the visual department. And kids around that age were usually eager to find friends.

" _Yamagi_?" came Merribit's voice, snapping Takumi out of his minor trance and spot Merribit staring at the final boy, the blue eyed blonde, who was hiding himself behind Shino, the latter scratching the back of his head, embarrassed. Merribit, on the other hand, looked calm as she crouched down to speak to the boy called 'Yamagi'. Well, speak was a light term, as it was more of a whisper. After some time, she stood up and turned back to Yosetsu and his parents. "I'm sorry, Yamagi is just shy around new people…"

"Oh no, it's alright," assured Yuuko with a kind smile. "We understand that not all children can be so carefree, after all."

As she finished that sentence, she looked at Yosetsu, who seemed to look somewhere between offended and very worried, perhaps leaning more towards very worried, as though his mother didn't like how he acted. But a reassuring smile and a gentle pat on the head from Yuuko assured him that she wasn't upset in the slightest. In fact, Yuuko actually found his shy and cautious personality to be adorable. The only thing she really didn't like was his paranoid fear, something both she and Takumi was still trying to help fix.

"We heard that you're that kid Mika spoke of a lot, eh?" said Ride, smirking as he leaned close to Yosetsu, examining the boy. As for the boy in question, Yosetsu felt rather uncomfortable at being in such close proximity with Ride. The fact that the ginger haired kid stayed kept his head there for about ten seconds, eyes narrowed as he examined Yosetsu closely, didn't really help. "Kinda plain looking, if I'm honest."

Yosetsu's cheeks lit up in slight annoyance when Ride said that, but Takaki waved Mass off. "Ride, don't you remember what we always say? Never judge a book by it's cover."

"Yeah yeah, I know," replied Ride with a smirk. "You kept telling me that when Mika first came to _Chryse_ …"

When Ride name dropped Mika, the Awase family kind of lost interest in everything else he said as a new question got stuck in their head, and Yosetsu was the first one who voiced it out.

"Mikazuki…" said Yosetsu, scratching his chin as the everyone turned their attention to him. "Is he here right now?"

"Of course!" replied Ride with a smirk. "He almost never leaves! He's… erm… actually, where is he?"

Turning to Merribit for answers, Ride gave her a confused look. In response, Merribit closed her eyes for about two seconds, before opening them. "He's in the showers upstairs. Sounds as though he's coming out in a while."

"Welp, there's your answer!" proclaimed Ride with a smile. And before Yosetsu could even request it, Ride seized his wrist and got ready to dash up. "Come on, Yosetsu! I'm sure Mika'll be happy to see you! Maybe, I dunno…!"

And with that said, Ride dashed off towards the staircase which led up stairs, pulling Yosetsu behind him. Takumi and Yuuko gasped, but Merribit chuckled a tad. "Don't mind Ride. he tends to be like that whenever we get visitors around his age."

"He's a little too friendly sometimes, you know?" pointed out Shino with a smirk and a soft chuckle. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that Ride doesn't bruise your kid by accident."

Shino had meant that as a joke, but he noted that Takumi and Yuuko froze in fear as though they thought that he was completely serious. It prompted Shino to cough nervously. "I wasn't being serious… Ride wouldn't let himself live peacefully if he hurt Yosetsu, even if it was by accident."

To their surprise, Shino had sounded completely serious when he said that, and his expression backed it up. It was so much so that Takumi and Yuuko felt a chill go up their spines as they nodded. As they did, Takaki raced after Ride, with Yamagi following close behind.

"Wait up, Ride!" proclaimed Takaki as the two blondes raced after Ride, a smile on gracing their youthful features. Shino simply chuckled at that, his serious attitude fading as he turned and followed the duo, leaving Takumi and Yuuko alone with Merribit. The three stayed silent for quite some time, not knowing what to say, before Merribit spoke up.

"Since the two of you are new to the orphanage," started Merribit politely as she turned to face Yuuko and Takumi. "Would you like some tea?"

"That would be nice of you," said Yuuko with a smile and nod, making Merribit's smile grow a tad as she motioned for them to follow her. "But, I have a question?"

"Yes, miss Awase?" asked Merribit, turning slightly to glance at her.

"Your Quirk…" began Yuuko. "Was it…"

"How I was able to hear Augus?" asked Merribit with a rather proud smile. "Why yes. I like to call it _Sonar_."

* * *

 **Merribit Stapleton**

 **Quirk; Sonar**

 **As the name suggests, Merribit Stapleton's Quirk works much like the passive sonar found on ships. With it, Merribit can detect even the faintest of sounds and almost precisely locate where it originates from. The downside is that her Quirk makes her ears much more sensitive than a regular human's ear, so excessively loud noises can give her splitting headaches or outright incapacitate her.**

* * *

 **Upstairs**

"Do you think it's polite to wait for Mika-San right outside the bathroom?" was the first question Takaki directed to Ride, who quickly shushed him.

"Ah don't worry about it, Takaki," assured Ride with a smile as he placed his hands on his hips. "Mika-San won't mind. Least I hope he won't. Besides, we've done this before, remember?"

When he said that, Takaki simply sighed and rolled his eyes as he turned to see Yosetsu and Yamagi standing behind them. Yamagi looked rather neutral, while Yosetsu, on the opposing end, looked nervous. One couldn't really blame him, however, as the four of them were literally standing right outside of the bathroom, waiting on Mika to exit it. He found this to be rather rude, but he didn't have the courage to speak up about it.

However, despite being rather nervous about being right in front of a door which separated them from a possibly naked Mikazuki Augus, Yosetsu still managed to keep get a look at what was on the second floor of the _Chryse Orphanage_. In front of the staircases which led up to the floor was a small, messy table with a vase and several pieces of paper on it. Oddly enough, the vase seemed to be glued back together after being shattered, possibly more than once. Aside from the table, there were about six rooms on the second floor, one of the six being the bathroom the four were in front of. And, like the bottom floor, there were a couple of graffiti sprays on the walls.

Over by the corner was some sort of ladder leading up somewhere, perhaps to an attic. Currently, Yosetsu wasn't necessarily thinking much about it for obvious reasons.

Finally, after about two minutes, the door to the bathroom squeaked open, making Yosetsu jump a tad. Quickly, he swiveled his head towards the bathroom door, which was now open, revealing Mikazuki, who was half naked and only wearing a pair of jeans which were similar to Shino's, only smaller. The boy also had a towel around his neck and his hair was messy as though he had been trying to dry his hair for a while.

Ride, Yamagi and Takaki seemed rather unfazed at the sight of a half naked Mikazuki, even if Yamagi's face did noticeably turn red. But Yosetsu, on his part, couldn't help but notice how ripped Mika was. With that extremely tight six pac alongside those impressive muscle bound arms, Yosetsu thought that Mika could have been a girl-magnet if he wasn't a resident of _Chryse_ , and if he was a little more social.

Aside from his muscles, Yosetsu also noted that Mika's Tail was wrapped around his neck as though it were a scarf. Though calling it a scarf was quite a stretch, as it more resembled a noose. The bone portion of his tail didn't exactly help change Yosetsu's perception on that.

* * *

 **Mikazuki Augus**

 **Quirk: Rex Tail and {REDACTED}**

 **A tail which, unlike most others, is attached to his back via a fleshy 'rope'. The 'rope' is boneless, being composed of cartilage which in turn makes his Tail extremely flexible. The segment of his tail not connected to his back has a jagged 'blade' which is composed of bone and can break through wood with little problem. However, his tail can be severed if he is careless, and his bone 'blade' can be shattered if it is hit with a blunt enough force**

 **{REDACTED}**

* * *

"Hiya, Mika!" greeted Ride with a friendly wave, with Takaki by his side, his hands on his hips and a look of mock disappointment on his face. Behind both of them, Yamagi gave Mika a friendly wave, something Mika replied with a slight nod, while Yosetsu just stood there awkwardly, not knowing how to greet this acquaintance.

As for Mika himself, he seemed oddly calm and neutral for a boy who was standing in front of three friends and one acquaintance half naked. His expression only changed slightly when he spotted Yosetsu behind Takaki and Ride, albeit only a little, turning into a slightly surprised look.

"He actually came," mumbled Mika to himself, running a hand through his still wet hair. The boy sounded a tad surprised, but Takaki simply chuckled at that.

"He's a friend, isn't he?" pointed out Takaki with a smile. And Yosetsu scratched the back of his when he said that. He didn't know if Mika considered him a friend, if he were honest. He did think of voicing out that thought, but Takaki continued. "Friends usually visit friends… right?"

When he asked that, Mika paused for a moment, a finger resting on his chin as he thought for a moment before shrugging.

"Ah," he replied with a nod as he turned to stare at Yosetsu with his usual gaze that made the Welder tap his fingers against one another. "Either way, welcome to _Chryse_."

Yosetsu gave a nervous nod as Mika said that. He didn't really know what to reply with, so he stayed quiet for quite a long while. During that time, Mika walked off towards a which had a door with a red flower symbol on it, perhaps to get a change of clothes. Once he was gone, Ride piped up, elbowing Yosetsu's ribs lightly.

"Mika said you wanted to be a Hero, eh?" he said with a smirk, breaking the awkward silence and making everyone turn to face him. The ginger haired boy didn't allow Yosetsu any time to respond before he gently seized the Welder's wrist. Lifting it up to eye level, Ride examined it and some disappointment. "I'll be honest, you don't seem too fit to be a Hero."

When he heard that, Yosetsu's expression immediately fell. For an odd reason, while he admittedly found that to be unsurprising, he found that what Ride said hurt him more than he expected. While his dream was put down multiple times, hearing Ride say it somehow felt worse. However, before his paranoid emotion could cloud his judgement, he felt someone place a hand on his back in a comforting sort of way. Turning to the side, he spotted the culprit, Takaki, flashing a comforting smile at him.

"Don't take what Ride said to heart," he advised politely. "Besides, he said you aren't fit to be a Hero. _Fit_ , as in physically, you know? But, on the opposite end, Mika has told us that you have more than enough heart to become one."

"He… has?" questioned Yosetsu, making Takaki nod.

"Mika-San didn't tell you?" asked Takaki, prompting Yosetsu to shake his head. Takaki simply shrugged at that before leaning against a railing. "Ah… Mika-San is like that, he tends to not tell others about what happens in _Chryse_."

"What does he talk about me, exactly?" asked Yosetsu once again, rubbing the back of his neck curiously. Ride and Takaki shared an almost sarcastic look for a second, before looking back at Yosetsu.

"He always comes back and tells Orga _everything_ he does in that school he goes to," replied Ride with a smirk. "Before he met you, it was kinda the same thing over and over, just sitting in class and thinking of the future. But after he met you, the guy's been talking about more interesting subjects."

The way Ride had said 'interesting subjects' made Yosetsu tilt his head to the side, raising his curiosity a little more. So much so that he didn't hear a door behind opening as a tall boy with lilac hair approached him with silent footsteps.

"What do you mean by… interesting subjects?" asked Yosetsu, scratching his cheek curiously. Ride seemed to be ready to reply, but a hand slapped Awase's back before he could, making Yosetsu yelp and whirl around to spot a boy who was at least the height of his father standing behind him. His skin was slightly tanned, and his lilac hair was styled in an… interesting way which caused some of his bangs to covered his right eye. The boy's attire was a dark green sleeveless shirt and the usual _Chryse_ pair of jeans with padded knee guards. The boy had his hands on his hips and a friendly smile on his face, a smile which made Yosetsu calm down ever so slightly.

"You're wondering what he thinks about you, huh?" asked the boy with a smile as he crossed his arms. Yosetsu gave an uncertain nod, and the boy in front of him chuckled as he closed his right eye. "Then I'm the guy you're looking for. Name's _Orga Itsuka_."

When Yosetsu heard his name, he widened his eyes ever so slightly. The boy remembered Mika name dropping a boy called Orga, saying that he was one of the people who gave him the goal of becoming a Hero. Yosetsu had never seen Orga in the flesh, and he had admittedly wondered what Orga was like, or at least how he looked like. And he never thought he'd get the chance, until the chance came and slapped him in the face.

However, it seemed as though chance had slapped him a little too hard, as he stood silently, eyes staring blankly at Orga and mouth slightly agape for quite some time, long enough to make Orga wave a hand in front of his face, and even then, it wasn't enough to snap him out of it.

"Oi? You there, kid?" asked Orga, finally snapping Yosetsu out of his second trance of the day. The welding boy shook his head and gave a quick nod, making Orga chuckle a tad. "Heh, you're as paranoid as Mika described you as."

"It's quite enduring, if I'm honest," piped up Takaki with a smile before Yosetsu could feel offended. "Kinda makes the kid adorable, ya know?"

"Guess so," said Orga, ruffling up Takaki's hair, making the blonde laugh a tad. "You smartass."

"I'll take that as a complement," said Takaki sarcastically as Yosetsu watched in the background. "Hey, can we continue this in our room?"

"Sounds alright. Come on, Yosetsu," said Orga with a smirk as he turned on his heel towards the room he came from. Ride and Takaki followed suit, with Ride pulling Yosetsu in with him, prompting the welding boy to gasp as he was dragged into the room with the red flower symbol. Yamagi, however, stayed behind a little and turned towards the staircase.

"Shino?" muttered Yamagi, looking down at the stairwell, right at the boy who was peeking up from the very edge of the second floor. "...what are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing," said Shino with a chuckle as he walked up to the second floor. "Just wanted to see you younger gents' interact without my intervention, ya know?"

When he heard that, Yamagi gave a huff as his neutral expression turned into a smile.

' _You never change, Shino. You never change.'_

The room which Takaki had dragged Yosetsu in was actually, to his surprise, rather neat, at least in comparison to the first floor and the outside.

Unlike the outside, there weren't any graffiti tags on the walls. Instead, there were multiple drawings which were stuck to the walls via some crooked nails which were most likely hammered into the them. As for beds, there were two bunk beds in the room, and about four sleeping bags on the floor, giving Yosetsu the impression that sleeping in here would be rather cramped.

The first person Yosetsu noticed in the room was Mikazuki, sitting on the bottom of a bunk bed with his back against the wall and his 'tail' lying next to him. However, the next person he noticed, a boy sitting on the edge of an opposing bed, made Yosetsu freeze in slight fear.

Standing perhaps an entire head taller than his father, the boy had black hair spiked up in a manner similar to a character called _Guts_ from a show called _Berserk_. His eyes were a pure black shade, and his attire was a sleeveless, lavender shirt alongside the standard _Chryse_ pair of knee pad jeans. Similarly to Mika, the boy also had impressive muscles on his arms. That, coupled with his rather neutral, and admittedly intimidating expression made him a rather imposing figure.

Currently, the boy was holding a dumbbell in his right hand, and it was perhaps the largest Yosetsu has seen, perhaps weighing fifty to sixty kilos. And despite that, the guy seemed to lift it as though it weighted nothing.

"Oi, _Akihiro_ ," piped up Orga, walking up behind Yosetsu and slapping Yosetsu's back, perhaps a little too hard as the boy yelped a tad and recoiled in slight pain. "Yosetsu decided to show up!"

Hearing that, the boy, Akihiro, looked away from his dumbbell and towards Yosetsu. And almost immediately, his expression changed from imposingly neutral to an almost surprised look. With a huff, Akihiro placed his dumbbell onto the floor as lightly as he could, before standing up, and Yosetsu found that he barely got up to his neck.

"He's shorter than I expected…" muttered Akihiro after some time, making Orga chuckle. As for Yosetsu, he had missed Akihiro's sarcastic tone and was left confused.

"You say that about everyone you see, Aki," retorted Orga as the boy approached the bed Mika was sitting on, propping himself on the edge of the bed. As for Ride, Takaki and Yamagi, the trio jumped up onto the top bunk. Yosetsu, on the other hand, just stood at the door silently, not knowing what to do, at least until Ride spoke up.

"Oi, Yosetsu!" he proclaimed, staring at the Welding boy who jumped a tad. "You just gonna stand there all day? Have a seat!"

"...w-where?" asked Yosetsu, making Ride chuckle a tad. Yosetsu's lack of experience with friends was coming back to bite him in the ass right now. The boy didn't know what he was supposed or could do, and that had left him stumped.

In truth, Ride found Yosetsu's current state of confusion to be rather amusing, but Orga took some pity on him and patted the empty spot beside him. Yosetsu was rather hesitant, but in the end he took a seat beside Orga and a little in front of Mika. The boy sat with his arms close to his body and hands clamped together, remaining awkwardly silent as he stared down at his hands until Orga cleared his throat.

"So, I'm sure that you're already aware, Mika told us quite a lot about you," said Orga after some time, turning to face Yosetsu, a friendly smile on his face. "Especially why you want to be a Hero."

"I… I know about that," said Yosetsu, looking at Orga. "He said…"

"That you can be a Hero, right?" said Ride out of nowhere, and suddenly, Ride's head popped down from the top bunk, giving Yosetsu an upside down smile. Unfortunately, while he had intended on the action to be sarcastic, but it seemed to have the opposite effect as Yosetsu yelped and nearly smashed his skull against the top bunk. "Whoa now, careful…"

"S-Sorry…" was what Yosetsu replied with as he calmed himself down, making Orga chuckle.

"It's alright, kid," assured Orga, patting the kid's back to calm him down a little more. As he did, he shot Ride a slight glare, making the boy chuckle nervously as he lifted his head back up. "Anyways, Mika told us about your willingness to become a Hero despite having a weak Quirk. That's correct, right?"

"Well… yeah," confirmed Yosetsu as he heard Mika's tail shift behind him, though he did his very best to ignore it. "I know it's pathetic for me to think of such a goal… but…"

"Whoa now," piped up Takaki from above. "Orga didn't say it was pathetic to think of such a goal, ya know? Let the dude finish."

"Oh… erm…" said Yosetsu, scratching the back of his head as he began blushing out of embarrassment. One couldn't really blame him, as people tended to think that his goal was as good as achievable as breathing in space. In layman's terms, almost everyone he knew had considered his goal to be an impossible task, making him think that everyone considered his goal to be laughable, so having someone not immediately do so was surprising to say the least. "I-I'm sorry… I just…"

"Thought we were gonna put you down for your goal?" asked Akihiro, making Yosetsu turn to the boy in question, who looked rather neutral, making a shiver go up the Welding boy's spine. But there was an odd, gently look in his eyes which calmed the shiver down a tad. "It'd be hypocritical of us if we did, you know?"

"...how so?" asked Yosetsu.

"Well," said Orga, tapping his chin. "I'm sure you know our orphanage's history by now. How people say it's the place where future villains gather in and all that?"

Yosetsu only nodded in response. He knew about _Chryse's_ reputation, everyone did.

"Not surprising…" continued Orga, leaning back on his arms as he spoke. "Anyways, people always call us future villains and what not, thinking we're all gonna grow up to be the bad guy. They think we're less human than them, when in fact we're all the same."

"You're not wrong…" admitted Yosetsu, tapping his fingers together.

"I know, kid," said Orga, sounding rather cheeky. "Besides, I'm also sure that you thought of us as young villains at one point too."

Hearing that, Yosetsu froze up, eyes cartoonishly wide and mouth locked in a thin line. He didn't know how to reply to that as Orga had spoken the truth. As a younger child, Yosetsu has thought that _Chryse_ kids were nothing but young villains. That thought never really went away for a long time, and it only really changed when he saw what the kids of _Chryse_ were like in the flesh.

Noticing his frozen state, Orga cleared his throat and he decided to ask a different question.

"Alright, different question…" said Orga, snapping Yosetsu out of it. "What do you think of us now?"

"I…" began Yosetsu, racking his brain for an answer. And it took him a few seconds to get his answer, and once he did, he gave a mild smile. "I think you guys are friendly… friendlier than most other people I've met anyways…"

When he finished, Yosetsu swore that he heard Ride say _"Yes!"_ on the top of the bunk bed. But he ignored it as he turned to Orga, who smirked.

"That puts you in the minority," said Orga as he turned back in front. "We just wish that other people can think like you. And that's why I convinced Mika to attempt to become a Hero."

"He wanted to change what people think of _Chryse_ …" said Yosetsu, remembering what Mika had told him when they first spoke.

"That's right," confirmed Orga, turning to glance at Mika, who acknowledged him with a nod and a grunt. "Of course, there are other reasons. Like how Mika actually does want to be a Hero."

"He… actually does?" asked a surprised Yosetsu, tilting his head ever so slightly as he turned to stare at Mika, who just stared back blankly.

"Well duh!" proclaimed Ride from above, sounding amused at the question Yosetssu's question. "How'd you think we manage to convince him to try and be a Hero if he didn't want to, eh?"

"Yeah… but…" continued Yosetsu, scratching the back of his head. "What about the rest of you guys?"

"What about us?" asked Takaki, confused.

"You guys should have motivations too," pointed out Yosetsu, tapping his fingers together. "Mika wants to be a Hero… what about the rest of you?"

"Of course we have motivations too, kid," piped up Akihiro, turning up to face Yosetsu with a smirk. "Some of us, like Mika, want to be Heroes. Others just want normal, peaceful lives. I guess you can consider me part of the latter half."

"He's right," said Orga. "Besides, not everyone in _Chryse_ is suited to be a Hero. We're physically fit, but our Quirks aren't all practical for Hero duty."

"Could… I know what Quirks you guys have?" asked Yosetsu curiously. Orga seemed ready to reply, but Ride leapt off the top bunk, an action that cut the lilac haired boy off, and turned to face Yosetsu.

"Of course!" said Ride with a smirk, making Yosetsu jump. But Ride didn't seem to notice as he held out a palm, showing that he had a small hole in the middle of it. "My Quirk is called _Spray_."

"W-Well, what does it do?" asked Yosetsu, calming himself down.

"Simple!"

* * *

 **Ride Mass**

 **Quirk: Spray**

 **On his palms are two small holes which are about the size of a fishball. The holes can shoot out air and, if used to its full potential, is strong enough to knock people off their feet, though Ride usually uses it in his graffiti projects with a custom made spray-can. And on certain occasions, he will pretend that he is Iron Man. The only known downside is that his Quirk seems to be tied into his lungs, and as such he needs to take in a deep breath before using it.**

* * *

"And it's pretty useful for my artwork, ya know?" finished Ride as Yamagi and Takaki got off the top bunk. "Your turn, Takaki!"

Takaki simply shrugged at that. "If you say so. My Quirk is _Magnetism_

* * *

 **Takaki Uno**

 **Quirk: Magnetism**

 **As the name suggests, Ride's Quirk allows him to attract various metal objects. Though not exactly effective for combat, it is useful for finding lost metal objects which are lost unless they are not attracted to conventional magnets. His Quirk doesn't really use much energy unless he's lifting something really heavy with it.**

* * *

"It definitely helps when I lose a bolt," finished Takaki with a proud smile. "I can't tell you how many metal things I've found with my Quirk!"

"It sounds useful…" said Yosetsu, sounding envious of Takaki's Quirk. But Takaki simply chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

"It is useful, but very problematic at the same time," he admitted sheepishly. "I can only attract metals, and even then, only certain types will be attracted. Iron, for example. Aluminium and gold won't be affected."

"I see…" muttered Yosetsu, before turning to Yamagi, who looked away. The boy didn't seem interested in sharing what his Quirk was, if his cold gaze was anything to go by anyways, so Awase quickly turned to face Akihiro, who blank before shrugging.

"My Quirk isn't visible," said Akihiro, crossing his arms as he closed his eyes. "I don't really know what to call it, but it hardens my knuckles so that I can hit harder."

* * *

 **Akihiro Atland**

 **Quirk: Knuckle Dusters**

 **Found inside his knuckles, Akihiro's 'Knuckle Duster' Quirk enhances his punches, making every strike at least three times harder than a normal man's strike. Each knuckle duster is as strong as iron without the weight.**

* * *

"And now you know why he trains his arms so much," said Takaki, earning him a smirk from Akihiro.

"Someone has to protect you guys when Mika is gone," said Akihiro, looking at Mika, who simply nodded. Yosetsu, on the other hand, simply looked at the floor silently, and his tummy began to churn in shame.

These kids had such amazing Quirks, even Ride and Takaki, who's Quirks were considered passive and not suitable for combat, were much more capable of carrying out Hero duties than his sorry excuse for a Quirk was. Perhaps Kio was ride, his Quirk was pathetic, unsuited for Hero duty. Perhaps he should just give up…

"Yosetsu," piped up a voice which he didn't recognise, making Yosetsu jerk his head upwards, violently pulling out of his trance. Looking around, Yosetsu tried to pinpoint who said that, but he had no luck, until the culprit leapt off the top bunk and revealed himself to be Yamagi. "Don't think like that."

"What… do you mean?" asked Yosetsu, sounding a little intimidated despite being taller and possibly older than Yamagi.

"I can tell that you're thinking that you should give up on your dream," said Yamagi, sounding rather empathetic. "Mika-San told us that you think your Quirk is weak, that welding isn't useful in the Hero profession. That's correct, right?"

"W-Well… yeah," admitted Yosetsu, wanting to go on with why he thought that way, but Yamagi cut him off.

"Yosetsu-San, it doesn't matter if your Quirk is weak," said the blonde. "Quite a lot of Heroes have weak of impractical Quirks. For example, the Rescue Hero, _Ratchet_. His Quirk is situational and rather impractical for Hero Duty. But he's still rather successful. And do you know why?"

"B-Because… he thrusts himself into danger without a second thought…" replied Yosetsu. "And he is willing to give his life just to save another person…?"

"Correct," replied Yamagi with a nod. "And that should tell you something. Being a Hero isn't just about a fancy or strong Quirk, it's about being selfless and having the willingness to save a life even when in the face of danger."

"Y-Yeah… but what…" began Yosetsu, before Yamagi cut him off again.

"What does that have to do with you?" said Yamagi, making Yosetsu nod. "Simple. From what we've seen, you're determined to become a Hero despite your shortcomings. And you don't seem to be a person who would leave someone who could potentially be saved behind. Still though, we wouldn't know since we just met you."

When he heard that, Yosetsu began to turn red out of embarrassment. And, in some way, he supposed Yamagi was right. He was majorly determined to become a Hero despite the fact that almost everyone he knew had done their best to put that dream down. As for him not willing to leave behind someone who could be saved, he supposed that it was part of his shaky school life, or perhaps it was because of his still naive mindset, but he had always wanted to help those who needed assistance.

"Hey, Yosetsu? You alright?" came Ride's voice, snapping Yosetsu out of his trance again to see Ride waving a hand in front of his face. Quickly, he shook his head and huffed. "Oh good. I thought you passed out or something."

"Passed out with his eyes open," muttered Orga snarkily, prompting Ride to widen his eyes at what he had just said, though Takaki ignored it as he spoke.

"That was his third or fifth time in a trance, Ride," pointed out Takaki, smiling at Yosetsu, who simply stared at him. "And I think Yamagi triggered something in him."

"Yeah, just look at him," said Akihiro with a smirk. "He looks like he's seen _Bael_ or _All Might_ in the flesh. Guess that proves that you've got a way with words, Yamagi."

"Ah," replied Yamagi with a gentle shrug. "I guess I do. But that's not the point. What I'm trying to say is this, don't let others get you down, Yosetsu. I'm sure you can be a Hero."

"In fact," came Ride's voice, sounding encouraging as well as he quickly forgot about his previous bamboozle. "I'm sure everyone in the room believes in ya! Right?!"

And one by one, the people in the room gave positive replies to Ride's question until the ginger turned to Mika. The boy's face was as neutral as Yosetsu remembered, but there was something different about his eyes. They seemed to shine with subtle hints of encouragement, something Yosetsu had never seen on someone other than his parents.

"I don't _think_ he can do it," said Mika, glancing at Yosetsu, whose expression fell quite a lot. At least until Mika continued. "I _know_ that he can."

And when Yosetsu heard that, the Welding boy widened his eyes and did his best to resist putting on the goofiest smile he could manage. Though from what he could feel, his muscles were failing him as he felt his cheeks curving up. That, and he could see that Mika had an eyebrow perked up in amusement. In the background, Orga and Akihiro shared an impressed look. And both could tell what the other was thinking just by looking at their expressions.

Both could tell that Mikazuki had grown quite fond of Yosetsu. After all, Mika never usually encouraged those he didn't like, that and he had never invited anyone over to _Chryse_ before, with Yosetsu being the first, telling both Orga and Akihiro that Augus had grown rather attached to Awase.

"Hey, now that we know each other and all that," piped up Ride, smiling as he looked at everyone. "Why don't we have some fun?"

"And what, pray tell, do you mean by fun?" asked Takaki, crossing his arms.

"Simple!" proclaimed Ride, smirking as he walked towards a closet in the room. Opening the top shelf, Ride reached in, and for a second Yosetsu thought he was going to pull something large out, but suddenly, he pulled out a rather massive box. "We always play this thing, ya know? What's it called… Snacks and Rabbits?"

Blinking at the rather odd name, Yosetsu stood up and went to Ride's side to have a look at the box. And he only chuckled when he saw that Ride had misread the name of the box he was holding.

"Ride," said Yosetsu, making the boy in question turn up to face him. "It's pronounced _Snakes and Ladders_."

" _Snakes and Ladders_ …" muttered Ride, his expression turning into one of confusion, before swiftly contorting into one of embarrassment. "I-I knew that! I was just trying to see if _you_ did!"

Yosetsu, upon hearing that, gave a soft chuckle which made Ride's face heat up in anger. But Takaki spoke up before he could do something impulsive.

"Look, why don't we just play the thing, you guys?" he suggested, and Ride readily agreed to play. Takaki decided to be part of the first round as well, and Yamagi only agreed to because he apparently wanted revenge on Ride for beating him the last time they played. Yosetsu had intended on staying out of it, but Orga, Ride and Takaki insisted he joined them until he gave in.

* * *

 **Downstairs**

Takumi was not necessarily feeling calm, despite the rather soothing effect of Merribit's tea.

Sitting on a couch beside Yuuko, Takumi kept his eyes glued on Merribit in case she were to do something which would cause harm to either of them, though that action had made it hard for him to enjoy the tea which the _Chryse_ owner had prepared for them.

For a long moment, none of them spoke. Yuuko and Takumi were too defensive to speak up, and Merribit stayed silent as she didn't know what to speak of, preferring to simply enjoy her tea as she waited for either of her visitors to start up a conversation. Finally, after thirty minutes,

Yuuko decided to start up a conversation.

"...nice weather we're having today… don't you think?" asked Yuuko awkwardly as Merribit and Takumi turned to face her. After a second, Merribit turned towards the window and stared out into the sunny outside.

"Yes, quite so," said Merribit with a smile as she turned back to her visitors. "It surprises me that Orga didn't lead the others out for a trip. He usually does so on days like these."

"Your children sound like good people," said Yuuko, sounding rather truthful. And, in a way, she was being honest. From what she's seen in Shino, Ride, Takaki and Yamagi, and including what her kid had told her about Mika, they seemed to be rather friendly people. That, and the fact that they seemed to accept Yosetsu as a possible friend despite his Quirk had made Yuuko change her perception on _Chryse_ as a whole.

"I know," replied Merribit, looking down at her own teacup. And, Takumi may have just been seeing stuff, but he swore that her expression turned a little sour. "I just hope that other people can think that way in the future."

"I hope so as well, Merribit-San," replied Takumi with a nod as he placed his cup down.

"That puts you in the minority," stated Merribit, though she gave a polite smile as she said it. "Still, I have yet to thank you."

"For what?" asked Yuuko, blinking in surprise.

"Your son, Yosetsu Awase," answered Merribit with a smile. "The boy has changed Mikazuki, even if it's by a small amount. About a month ago, after he met your son, Mika has been a little more enthusiastic about things, speaking a little more to others, and usually about Yosetsu."

"Mika talks about our son?" asked Takumi with a raised eyebrow.

"Rather often, might I add," admitted Merribit with a smile. "Usually about how he's impressed with your son, or that he's envious of him…"

Hearing that someone was impressed with Yosetsu was a pleasant surprise to both Yuuko and Takumi. And hearing that it was Mikazuki Augus, a boy from a place they used to fear, was impressed with their kid only multiplied that surprise by ten. Though there was still something which confused them.

"Merribit-San…" began Takumi, holding his chin as the women in the place turned to face him. "I would like to know… how is Mikazuki envious of Yosetsu…?"

Before he continued, Takumi gave Yuuko a regretful look before he went on.

"I mean, while I hate to admit it… Yosetsu's Quirk is not the greatest," said Takumi, sounding as though he had to force those words out. "When compared to Mikazuki's, his… 'Tail'... Yosetsu's Quirk is… pathetic."

When he finished, Merribit simply chuckled and placed her cup down. "Takumi, perhaps from your perspective, Yosetsu's _Weld_ ability is not a good Quirk. But in Mikazuki's eyes, he finds it to be amazing."

"...how so?" asked Yuuko, barely able to keep the surprise out of her tone.

"Well, Mika has always viewed his Quirk as a burden," said Merribit in a hushed, almost solemn tone, as though she didn't want to be overheard. "He says that it scares people away and sometimes gives him backaches. In a way, the way Mika views his Quirk is similar to how Yosetsu does. And on occasion, he even wishes that he has Yosetsu's Quirk as he thinks that it will make him more 'normal'. Despite that, he knows that he cannot change the fact that it is his Quirk and will always use it with pride.

"In a way, Yosetsu and Mikazuki are similar in a few ways. Both dislike their Quirks to a certain degree, but they know that they cannot change it, so they will bear the responsibility of their respective powers and holds their heads up with pride as they use them. That, and they hold some amount of respect for the other."

When she finished, both Takumi and Yuuko fell silent. They were filling a mixture of different emotions. Shock, happiness, and even some pride were part of the mix, all because a child from the _Chryse_ _Orphanage_ was envious and even a little respectful of their son. It was perhaps one of the best news they've heard in their years of parenting, and they were intending on replying, at least until a yell could be heard from above them.

" _Ah come on, Yosetsu! How'd you beat me_ _ **again**_ _?!"_ exclaimed the voice, and the three downstairs could tell that it was Ride.

" _Don't be such a sore loser, Ride,"_ came another voice, Takaki's voice. _"Yosetsu just has experience."_

Curiously, the trio got up from their respective seats and made their way up to the room the kids were in. They saw that the door wide open. Quietly, the adults peaked in, only to see Takaki, Ride, Yamagi and Yosetsu sitting in a circle around some sort of board which included some snakes and a whole lot of ladders. Ride had a salty expression on his face and his arms crossed while Takaki had a simple smile on.

Standing by the sides and sitting on the beds was everyone else in the room. Mika and Akihiro were sitting on opposite beds, while Orga and Shino were standing beside Mika and Yamagi respectively.

"How'd you get so good at this game, anyways?" asked Orga, crossing his arms as he watched Yosetsu move his piece up a ladder.

"I… don't know," replied Yosetsu, looking up at him as Yamagi made a move. "I remember my parents playing it with me when I was younger. We still play it to some extent, but it's less common now…"

"Heh," muttered Orga when Yosetsu finished, and the Welding boy made another move which got him closer to the finishing square. "Rhetorical question, but what do you think of your parents?"

When Orga asked that, Yosetsu stayed quiet for quite some time, making Takumi and Yuuko nervous. But it was washed away when he replied. "I love them. I mean… they're not perfect, nobody is. But they're very supporting… even if I'm not that strong."

And with those words out in the open, Yuuko and Takumi felt their hearts skip more than one beat. Their son had just said what he thought of them, out in the open. And he didn't sound as though he were lying, he never did, which made Takumi and Yuuko beam pridefully.

However, Yuuko also noticed something different about Yosetsu. He sounded calmer than he usually was. Most of the time, her kid would talk with a stutter. Here, he spoke normally, as though being with what one could consider friends calmed him.

"I swear to God," piped up Shino, placing his hand on his forehead dramatically and snapping Yuuko and Takumi out of it. "You're probably the ideal kid to a lot of people…"

"I am?" asked Yosetsu, turning to look at Shino.

"Yeah! You don't ask much of them, yet you still love them to bits," said Shino with a smirk. "Though you might wanna talk about school issues more with them, you know? They're your parents. Don't see why you shouldn't tell em."

"I… guess you're right," said Yosetsu, before he won the game for the fourth time in a row. As he did, Yamagi gave a defeated sigh.

"I concede," said Yamagi, though he didn't sound salty like Ride. He just sounded neutral, as though he didn't mind losing. "Anyone else up for this?"

"Oh, me!" proclaimed Shino with a smirk.

"Don't see why not," said Akihiro.

"I'll go," came Mika's voice, making them turn to him. They were surprised that he volunteered, but they still went with it.

"You have a good child," said Merribit as they backed away from the door. Turning to face her guests, she was a little surprised when she saw that they seemed to be on the brink of tears. "Are… you two alright?"

"Y-Yes, we are," said Yuuko after a few seconds, turning up and looking at Merribit. "More than alright…"

* * *

 **Several hours later**

Originally, Takumi had intended on visiting the _Chryse Orphanage_ for at most an hour. He had, however, not expected to stay there late into the evening, right when the sun began setting.

After the trio spied in on the kids and made sure they were alright, they went back down to the first floor. However, instead of the usual silence, the trio actually spoke about stuff, such as the time Yosetsu lost his first tooth or when Ride had figured out how to use his Quirk. The latter made them laugh more than they had expected.

As the three adults spoke as though they were old friends reunited after many years, they didn't notice that the sun was setting until it was dark out. And even so, they were reluctant to leave, only doing so when Akihiro, Yamagi and Mikazuki walked down from upstairs, with Akihiro cradling a sleeping Yosetsu in his arms.

"Yosetsu fell asleep in the middle of another round in _Snakes and Ladders_ ," explained Mika as Akihiro passed Yosetsu to Takumi, who held his kid in a piggyback fashion. "He's pretty good at it."

"So we've heard," said Takumi with a proud smile. "Our boy is rather special, after all."

The others didn't say anything in response, though they did acknowledge that comment with nods and smiles.

"I'm guessing that the three of you are leaving now?" asked Merribit from her seat. And Yuuko was the first to reply with a nod. "Well, it's disappointing, but not expected. Just know that you and your son are always welcomed back, alright?"

"Yes, we will keep that in mind," said Takumi with a nod as he turned to face Yuuko. "Let's go."

With that said, the three headed towards the exit of the _Chryse Orphanage_ , with Akihiro opening the door for the pair. And with a quick goodbye from Yuuko and Takumi, the trio left for their home, with Merribit standing by the door, watching as they left.

"Merribit-San?" came Mika's voice, making Merribit turn to the side and look down to see Mika standing beside her. Crouching down, she looked at Mika at eye level. "Will they be back someday?"

"Well, I can exactly be sure," said Merribit as she gently patted his ahoged head. "Why are you asking, though?"

"Because today was fun," replied Mika as his ahoge popping back up as soon as Merribit removed her hand, his expression neutral yet somehow showing that he was not lying. And Merribit could tell as his eyes shone with happiness. "Everyone was happy today. Even Yamagi."

That last statement was not that surprising to Merribit. Despite his cold demeanor and his usual uncaring attitude, Mika ultimately wanted one simple thing, for those he liked to be happy, preferably his friends. But a certain question nagged at Merribit as Mika watched Yosetsu and his family returned home.

"Mikazuki?" she piped up, making him turn to face her. "What do you consider Yosetsu? A friend, perhaps?"

Mika went silent at that, not knowing what to reply. Merribit considered dropping the subject, until a reply came through.

"I don't know."

* * *

 **It's done! IT'S FINALLY DONE!**

 **HOOWAH**

 **Getting a little serious, but just a little, here, this chapter of IBH took me… bloody Hell. I don't even remember how long it took me. I just know that it was about 31 pages of Google Docs, with about… 13721 words in it. Didn't expect that much since I was aiming for about 10000 or so. But still, originally this chapter was gonna be a lot longer. So there's that.**

 **Doesn't help that I've been a little sick for the past few days. That, and quite a lot of events have been going on, like my parent's 18th anniversary together, Christmas, and Gunpla.**

 **If C1 didn't piss off the IBO or BNHA communities, I'm sure this one will. So I'll see y'all in the afterlife or something.**

 **But before I get torn apart by the communities, lemme just say a (late) merry Christmas to you all. Hope you guys had some good presents and all that. I got some good shit from my parents. And also, happy almost new year since I probably posted this on the 29/30th of December, depending on where you live.**

 **And on a different note, school will be starting up in about three days. So updates might be fewer and further away, which may be a good thing depending on who you are.**

 **One thing I forgot to mention in the C1 notes, but I don't live in the Niigata Prefecture, so I don't really know the exact geography of the place. So don't hang me for getting stuff regarding it wrong please.**

 **Now onto the replies.**

* * *

 **FortressHunter: they probably won't. Let's be honest here :v**

 **HanKanoya: I hope so too**

 **Guest #1: well here's C2**

 **And yes, I will try and keep track of guest reviews. Probably a bad idea, but fuck it.**

* * *

 **Anyways, see you guy's… eventually.**

 **(P.S: Chapter 3 of IBH will be a chapter similar to this one. So there's that. C5 is where we get into the actual plot of BNHA.)**

 **Updated on 4/5/2019**


	3. Training Excercise

Dashing down the streets of Niigata at full speed on a Saturday morning, Yosetsu Awase sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him, currently dressed in a grey shirt and brown jeans, topped of with his signature headband wrapped around his forehead.

On a regular day, Yosetsu would have been running away from something, either Kio himself or just some random dog he had unintentionally riled up (though it only happened once), but on this occasion, he was sprinting down the streets for neither reason. In fact, he was willingly running _towards_ something for once, a welcome change from running away from something.

It was rather… funny, in a way. He remembered that almost an entire month ago when he was a friendless outcast in the _Bandai Academy_ , a prime target for bullies and with no one outside of his family to provide him with emotional support, until a fateful day where he met Mikazuki Augus. Sure, it took him fifteen days to actually talk to him, and it took Mika almost two entire weeks to strike up a proper conversation with the Welding Boy and inviting him over to his 'home', but he'd say that it was more or less worth it.

After that visit to _Chryse_ , Yosetsu found himself going to that place on an almost daily basis, usually after school as the boy really didn't want to miss any lessons. After all, education was more important than worrying about bullies, at least to him.

Despite visiting the orphanage at least ten times so far, Yosetsu was always surprised at how polite everyone was at him, especially Shino, who kept greeting him with a bright smile and the enthusiasm of an athlete. Ride was probably the second most enthusiastic of the two, with Takaki, Orga and Akihiro being somewhere behind the two. Yamagi was definitely the least enthusiastic of the three.

His parents did follow him on certain occasions, though it wasn't common as they were usually busy with their little job.

Of course, word of him going to _Chryse_ did get out in his school. He suspected it was thanks to the girl who had an invisibility Quirk spying on him, though he couldn't necessarily confirm it, considering how he couldn't exactly _see_ her whenever she used her Quirk. Despite that, however, Yosetsu didn't get anything more than a nervous glance from those who knew about him going to the orphanage, suspecting that they thought that Mika would jump on them and rip them apart if they said a word about him. Even Kio, who was infamous for targeting Yosetsu almost specifically, abruptly stopped bothering him almost entirely, only giving him a threatening glare or clenching his fists if he got too close to them. And of course, even after he abruptly stopped his teasing and assaults on him, Yosetsu still felt fearful of the kid. When Mika asked why, the Welding Boy simply replied with, "I g-guess it's in my nature to be scared of him…"

Mika didn't necessarily know how to reply to that back then, so he only kept silent in reply.

He also learnt quite a lot of stuff regarding the people of the orphanage, such as how a majority of the kids in the orphanage children would often partake in what Yosetsu considered to be 'play fighting', almost like some sort of training exercise, though according to Shino they would usually try moves from various cartoons/anime they saw online and (usually) failed at recreating them. He had also learnt about most of their Quirks, and in the case of a few others he had learnt more about them. In short, the boy had learnt more about _Chryse_ in a few short weeks than a majority of people who knew about if for most of their lives, about both the residents and the various rooms which the orphanage held.

Back to the present, Yosetsu found himself doubling over and breathing hard as he stopped in front of _Chryse_ , taking a few minutes to catch his breath. Despite it being at most two kilometres away from his apartment, Yosetsu still found that the distance was quite great… as evident by the fact that he had once spent about thirty minutes just to get to the place. If he ran at full speed, he could cover the distance within ten minutes, though it often ended up with him doubling over in exhaustion, much like he was right now.

Once the boy had caught his breath and got his heartbeat to slow down, Yosetsu straightened himself up and bent his back a little to help set the bones in his spine. Once the deed was done, the Welding Boy scurried up to the door and gave a gentle few knocks on it, knowing that Merribit would be able to hear even the softest of knocks thanks to past experiences. But after about twenty seconds of no one coming to open the door, making Yosetsu tilt his head slightly to the side before giving a slightly harder knock, perhaps a little louder than necessary, enough to make him flinch mildly.

The door remained shut for quite some time, making Yosetsu assume that he had arrived at a time when everyone was not in _Chryse_ , something which wasn't common but did happen on rare occasions, according to Akihiro anyways. Embarrassed, the boy was about to turn on his heel and leave for home, only for him to hear the door lock disengage and squeak open ever so slightly, revealing a slither of orange hair and part of a boy's face, mainly half a nose, mouth and one blurry green eye which had a dark bag under it. The visible eye, looking as though it had just been rudely awoken from sleep, appeared furious, making Yosetsu flinch and step back.

" _E-Eugene_ …" greeted Yosetsu timidly, almost instantly recognising who was staring at him through the door crack. The boy, 'Eugene', took a moment to notice who was in front of him. And when he did, Eugene's sleepy anger almost faded as he opened the door fully, revealing his second green eye and that he was wearing the standard issue _Chryse_ knee-pad jeans and an orange, sleeveless shirt.

Yosetsu had met Eugene on his second visit to the _Chryse Orphanage_ , right when he got to the orphanage as the orange haired boy had opened the door for him. Back then, Eugene still had those dark bags under his eyes and yawned every so often, though Yosetsu couldn't really blame him for that, as his Quirk did that to him.

Eugene's Quirk was one which Yosetsu both envied and was glad to not have. Sure, Eugene's Quirk was an amazing defensive tool, as rubberised skin and flesh was incredible, but it's downsides were… less than enticing to say the least.

* * *

 **Eugene Seven Stark**

 **Quirk: Rubber Body (Yosetsu given name) / Rubberclad Defence (Ride given name)**

 **As the name suggests, Eugene's Quirk allows him to turn his entire body into a material similar to rubber. He can manually turn his skin, flesh and bones into the material whenever he wishes, though it takes a lot of mental energy to keep up. If he rubberizes a single body part, Eugene can keep it rubberised for at most ten minutes, though if he does the same to his entire body, he can only hold it for a single minute. If he exceeds that limit, Eugene will pass out from exhaustion.**

 **And as a nasty side effect of his Quirk, after every use of it, he will feel tired, though how tired he feels depends on how long he uses his Quirk.**

* * *

"Yosetsu…" muttered Eugene in greeting, sounding almost halfway to dreamland as he spoke, shaking his head intensely to try and get rid of that 'just woke up from bed' feeling, which kinda worked as his eyes cleared up a little, though he still had to lean against the door frame to support himself up as he rubbed his eye. "Didn't expect you to be here again… and this early… isn't it…" he paused for a yawn. "Isn't it… Friday…?"

"N-No…" replied Yosetsu, scratching the back of his neck. "It's Saturday…"

"Saturday… alright then," said Eugene with a nod as he took a clumsy step back, almost falling over if he had not placed his leg behind him to steady himself, though just barely. "Come on…" he pauses to yawn. "In…"

After he got into the orphanage, Eugene shut the door rather weakly, so much so that he didn't manage to close it completely, prompting Yosetsu to do it for him. Eugene didn't seem to notice, only walking over to the couch and plopping down onto it. Yosetsu took a seat close to him, cupping his hands together as Eugene laid down on the couch, his head resting on a small cushion. For a moment, Yosetsu stayed silent until he turned to get ready to ask Eugene a question, only to realize that Seven Stark was already in a deep sleep.

"Oh!" mutter-shouted Yosetsu, scratching his cheek rather awkwardly as he stared at the sleeping body of Eugene for a few seconds before turning away. For a long while, about ten minutes, the Welder sat there silently, with multiple, small questions welling up in his head. He tried his best to answer them by himself, perhaps a little too hard as his head ended up hurting a little within a minute. However, while he wondered, the boy didn't notice that Shino was standing by the staircase segment of the orphanage, staring at him with an amused smile. It took him a while, but Yosetsu eventually noticed the taller boy.

"S-Shino!" proclaimed Yosetsu in surprise when he saw the boy, and when he yelled, Shino's expression changed from amused to what the Welder thought was horror as he held his arms up as a warning to tell Yosetsu to shush. It took Yosetsu a second to realize what he meant, and when he did, the boy slapped both hands onto his mouth to silence himself, nervously averting his gaze towards Eugene. Shino did the same, his breath staying stuck in his throat.

Though, to their relief, Eugene stayed asleep, only shifting ever so slightly and giving out a soft grunt. Staying silent, Shino motioned for Yosetsu to follow him up top to that they wouldn't risk waking Seven Stark up. Yosetsu readily followed him, nearly tripping on his way up.

In their haste, however, they didn't notice Eugene turning towards them and giving a slight, sleepy smirk.

"Noisy as always, Norba…" he said, before yawning and going back to sleep.

* * *

 **Up top**

After Shino saved Yosetsu from tripping over his own feet, the taller boy chuckled softly, making Yosetsu blush in embarrassment.

That blush stayed on his face as Shino led him up the stairs and towards, which Yosetsu remembered to be a room shared between Orga, Mika, Akihiro and Eugene. Shino slept in the room which was furthest to the left, with Takaki, Ride and Yamagi. Apparently, Yamagi had insisted on him sleeping with them. Yosetsu didn't know why, but he didn't really dare to ask the boy. He also knew that Eugene would more often than not go down to the living room to sleep, both at night and for naps, mainly because Akihiro apparently snored so loud that Eugene couldn't fall asleep.

Once they were up, Shino began leading Yosetso to the room shared by Mika, Orga, Akihiro and Eugene, though before they entered the room, Yosetsu turned up to Shino. "Shino?"

"Yeah?" asked Shino, stopping and turning to stare at Awase.

"...where's Mika?" asked the Welding boy, tilting his head to the side as he asked, giving his usual 'curious expression' that always managed to make Shino snicker.

"Oh, well," said Shino, scratching his chin. He seemed to struggle for a proper way to answer, but he eventually got one, as evident by the fact that he snapped his fingers triumphantly. "He's just outside at the moment… with Merribit, Orga and…"

Trailing off at the "and", Shino seemed reluctant to finish it, instead trailing off for a second and abruptly saying, "...they're going to get some raisins and some other stuff. They'll be back in about three hours."

Opening his mouth, Yosetsu was about to ask about what Shino was originally about to say, but he swiftly thought better of it and simply nodded, something which Shino smiled at and led him

into the room.

Once they were in, the first thing Yosetsu had noticed was Akihiro sitting on the edge of the bed which was positioned at the left side of the room, holding a dumbell which seemed to weight just as much as (or perhaps even more) than Yosetsu. Akihiro himself was so fixated on lifting and lowering his dumbbell that he didn't even notice Yosetsu and Shino entering the room until the latter cleared his throat to get his muscular friend's attention, making him jerk his head up and face them.

"Yosetsu…?" said Akihiro, looking as though he saw a ghost as he stared at the Welder with semi-wide eyes for about a second before turning towards the small, wall mounted clock in their room. It read to be at about ten in the morning. "You're here rather early…"

"Yeah," agreed Shino with a smirk as he leaned against the side of the bed Akihiro was sitting on. "I mean, yesterday, you came at five in the afternoon. And yesterday's yesterday you came at three, and yesterday's yesterday's yeste-"

"We get the point, Shino," cut off Akihiro, lifting a hand up to silence the boy, who, with a sigh, did. With an approving nod, Atland turned back to Yosetsu and cleared his throat. "Anyways… what we're trying to ask is why you're here so early. I heard that people who are in school like to stay at home and mess with their phones or something like that. Could be wrong, though."

"W-Well…" replied Yosetsu, flashing a shy smile as he scratched the back of his neck nervously. It took him a second or two to get an answer, but he managed it after some time. "It's mainly because… my parents are almost always at work until Sunday, and I prefer to not overuse my phone…even if it is fun, and it gets lonely at home…"

As he spoke, Shino noticed that Yosetsu's voice seemed to be a little shaky. Hearing it prompted Shino to approach the kid and wrap an arm around his shoulder. Yosetsu gave a gasp when he did and tensed up, but relaxed when he realized that it wasn't a threatening gesture, more of a friendly one, and loosened himself up.

"Oi now, Yosetsu," said Shino with a reassuring smile so genuine that Yosetsu was actually a little surprised despite seeing it almost a thousand times over the course of the past few weeks. "I get how you feel. The loneliness."

"You… do?" questioned Yosetsu, raising his brows as he looked at Shino, whom gave a courteous nod.

"You think that I was always this cheery, kiddo?" asked Shino, releasing Yosetsu's shoulder and moving to sit on the bed opposite of Akihiro. "Back in my younger days, when I was around your age, maybe a year or two younger, I was kinda the opposite. Silent, unfriendly, blah blah blah."

Flinching a little in surprise, Yosetsu was surprised at what Shino had said. Never in his life would he imagine Shino of all people to be either silent or unfriendly, much less both at once. Shino seemed to notice that, as he smirked and went on. "But, that was before I got to this place, of course. When I got here, however, I realized why I was silent and unfriendly."

Pausing for a moment to build up some dramatic effect, Shino was pleased when he saw that Yosetsu's curiosity grew a lot, though he was at least a little disappointed when he noted how it didn't have the same effect on Akihiro. Even so, he stayed silent for about ten seconds before continuing. "It was because I was lonely. Loneliness does that to a guy, y'know? You stay away from other people for long enough and you'll end up being silent and unfriendly."

Yosetsu scratched the back of his head and was about to speak up, but Shino cut him off.

"Now, I'm not sayin' that you're silent and unfriendly, kid," said Shino hastily with a smile. "I'm just saying some people, ya know?"

That made Yosetsu nod in response as he breathed a sigh of relief. But another question riled up in his mind as he did. "W-What does that… what does that make Mika?"

"Mika?" muttered Akihiro, placing his dumbell down and looking at Yosetsu. The younger boy gave a nod, prompting Atland to rub his chin thoughtfully before replying. "Mika isn't lonely. He's just… erm… naturally silent and unfriendly, I guess."

"When you say it like that, it sounds rude," pointed out Shino with a smirk, something Akihiro rolled his eyes at as the guy continued. "Look, Mika… he's… well… he's an unsolvable riddle to say the least. The kid usually acts uncaring and silent and all that 'edgy' shit you guys like to talk about, but he will sometimes show a… nicer side of himself? Guess you could call it that. Though when we say nice, we kinda just mean a smile or something… but it's usually worth it… usually."

Yosetsu nodded at that, and that action was followed up with a few minutes of silence. During these few minutes, Akihiro went back to lifting his dumbell and Shino just stayed mostly silent, whistling. Finally, Shino piped up. "For fucks sake, Yosetsu, are you gonna just stand there for the entire day? Take a seat, dammit!"

Jumping at Shino's rather casual use of a swear, Yosetsu took a moment to let what he said sink in and take a seat next to Shino. He would have sat next to Akihiro if he were brave enough, but he wasn't. That, and he also heard from Orga a few days ago that Akihiro, every once in a while, would drop his dumbell. Usually on his own foot, but sometimes onto someone else's. Not wanting to risk it, Yosetsu decided to not sit next to the dumbell lifting Akihiro. Akihiro didn't seem to mind as he kept lifting his dumbbell without a care in the world.

For yet another long moment, no one spoke a single word. Shino simply sat there, content with the silence despite being a usually chatty person, and with Akihiro still lifting his dumbell. Yosetsu, however, was staring at Akihiro rather attentively, more specifically the dumbell he was lifting, all three of them oblivious to a certain blonde standing outside the room until he spoke up.

"You don't have to keep thinking of that, Yosetsu," came a new voice out of nowhere after about ten minutes of awkward silence, making everyone swing their heads towards the door of the room and spot Yamagi standing by the door, with about three fourth of his body visible. The other one fourth was hidden by the door frame. He looked just as Yosetsu remembered him, with his sleeveless shirt, _Chryse_ knee-padded jeans and his blonde hair neatly combed up and covering his left eye. His voice stayed as flat as Yosetsu remembered it.

Hearing Yamagi speak to him out of the blue was a little shocking to say the least, as for the past few days when he visited, the boy had never said much to Yosetsu, only acknowledging him every so often with a huff or, at best saying a few words to him, speaking even less than Mika even. Yosetsu had tried to speak to him, though he was usually ignored or dismissed real quickly. Hell, Yosetsu only learnt about his Quirk from Orga, who decided to tell him out of boredom.

"T-Thinking of… what?" questioned Yosetsu, feigning ignorance as both Shino and Akihiro looked at him with one of their eyebrows raised, both flashing him confused looks. Yosetsu tried his best to look innocent, but he already knew that Yamagi knew what he was thinking about. He wasn't nicknamed the _Memory Thief_ in the orphanage, after all.

* * *

 **Yamagi Gilmerton**

 **Quirk: Mind Reading (Yosetsu given name) / Memory Thief (** _ **Chryse**_ **given name) / Hacker's Memory (Shino given name, preferred by Yamagi himself)**

 **As his Quirk's (first two) names suggest, Yamagi's Quirk is essentially a mind reader. If he concentrates, Yamagi can read even the most disciplined minds, though it takes a lot of mental energy and concentration when he uses it. While his Quirk is powerful, it tends to give him a splitting headache if he uses it for any longer than two minutes.**

* * *

"You're thinking about your physical shortcomings," replied Yamagi as he entered the room and took a seat next to Akihiro, who raised his eyebrows at Gilmerton, though the blonde ignored it and looked between Yosetsu and Shino, seeming a little resentful that the Welding Boy sat next to Norba, but that look went as soon as it came. "You're comparing yourself to Akihiro in terms of physical strength."

When he said that, all eyes in the room were diverted to Yosetsu, who shrunk three times below his normal size under all of them. Shino took that as an 'admission of guilt' and decided to speak up first.

"Oi oi, Yosetsu," started Shino, looking at the boy with surprisingly solemn looking eyes. He place a hand on the Welding Boy's shoulder, a gentle gesture which made Yosetsu shiver a tad. "In life, especially for a Hero, strength isn't gonna be enough for everything, ya know? Sometimes, you need some brains to back up that brawn… not saying that you don't have that, Akihiro."

Akihiro simply shrugged in response, showing that he didn't take any offence to that, as Yosetsu spoke up.

"But I don't have the brawn part… and my brain isn't…" started Yosetsu, before Shino shushed him by planting his index finger against the Welder's lips, causing the boy to blush in embarrassment as Yamagi growled. Beside the blonde, Akihiro shuffled over to the side… just in case.

"Oh shush, kid. Sure, you don't have the brawn part, but brains?" he said, smirking as he removed his fingers from Yosetsu's lips as he continued. "You should get your ass outta here if you think you don't have brains! Mika told us that you got five A's in your math and science… a B in English and a C in your Japanese… though that F wasn't exactly nice… though that was in Physical Education… but still! You got some brains, kid! Maybe even enough to be a Hero! But first, let me tell you one thing."

The sudden change in Shino's tone, switching from comically friendly to solemnly serious, took almost everyone off guard. Hell, even Yamagi's eyes widened a little at the sudden change.

"You could have someone with immense strength and incredible brains, a straight A student, as you call them, but if they don't have the proper _heart_ , they can never be a Hero," said Shino, his tone sounding as hard as iron, something that seemed to be rare if the expressions if everyone's expressions told him anything. "If they don't have a proper heart, they have no chance of being a Hero. For example, that Kio bastard. Remember him? He's strong and smart, according to Mika anyways, but he doesn't have the heart of a Hero… Hell I doubt that he even has a normal one. But _you_ , on the other hand… you've shown us that you've got more than enough heart to be a Hero!"

"H-How so…?" asked Yosetsu, still shaking at Shino's tone. Though thankfully, his _Chryse_ friend's tone softened into his signature friendly tone once more as he replied.

"Don't tell me you forgot!" proclaimed Shino, smirking as he gave a hearty slap to Yosetsu's back, one that would probably bruise, before he continued. "Just two days ago, you helped Ride with a scraped knee. On your second visit to our humble abode, you helped find Takaki's socket wrench. Doesn't sound like much when compared to what a Hero does, I'm sure you would think? Well, then what about that time you helped Weld a massive crack on the outside of our home which could have split the entire orphanage in half!"

Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, Yosetsu couldn't help flashing an embarrassed smile as he remembered those instances. He especially remembered the time when his Quirk actually helped the orphanage. But he also couldn't help but think that those few incidents weren't exactly impressive, and they didn't exactly show much heart, at least when compared to other instances which he's heard of. Though when he voiced that thought out, Akihiro shook his head.

"Yosetsu," said Akihiro, staring at Awase with an expression which he couldn't read on his face. "You're still young. And not many people at your age would have the chance to show as much heart as you have."

Hearing that gave Yosetsu some small sense of pride, making his cheeks glow red as he scratched one side of his face.

"Besides," piped up Shino, essentially continuing on from where Akihiro left off. "Mika has told us about you whenever you're not here. Like that time when you tried to help some dickhead who just fell down, only to get shoved onto your butt for your problems, or that time you actually fixed a crack in your class with your Quirk, only for that Kio guy to say some dumb shit and get everyone to laugh at you and all that. Still, even though all your attempts were less than successful, you never stopped trying to show some heart."

By this point, Yosetsu's face could be compared to a tomato which was at its ripest. The poor boy was practically the embarrassed he's felt in a long time, considering how he was indirectly receiving some praise.

"But still," muttered Shino, rubbing his chin as he regarded Yosetsu warily. Akihiro and Yamagi raised their eyebrows as the boy grabbed Yosetsu's arm and have a look at it. He squeezed his Welding friend's upper arm with a little strength, making Yosetsu wince a little. Shino, on the other hand, seemed a little underwhelmed. "Even with that said, I'll admit that you do need some extra muscles on you…"

Yosetsu gave a nod at that. "I… I am trying…"

"How so?" asked Akihiro, suddenly sounding thoughtful as he crossed his arms. Yosetsu scratched the back of his head in a sheepish manner as he replied.

"W-Well… I'm trying to do some push ups and running as much as I can…" replied Yosetsu, twiddling his fingers together nervously. "But I usually can't push myself up more than five times and can't run for more than one kilometer…"

Upon hearing that, the room abruptly went silent. Akihiro seemed to look thoughtful for a moment, with Shino and Yamagi looked at him curiously while Awase looked down at the ground with an awkward expression. The silence made rather Yosetsu uncomfortable, though thankfully, Akihiro piped up.

"How about this?" said Akihiro, finally breaking the silence and glancing at Awase. "Why don't _we_ train you?"

And Yosetsu had to take a double take to make sure that he wasn't having any listening problems. Thankfully, he didn't have any, but he wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing as he didn't expect Akihiro to suggest they train him. To be fair, the boy did intend on asking them about that someday (though not in the near, foreseeable future), though he didn't expect them to be the ones who asked him.

"Oi, you alright, Yosetsu?" came Shino's voice, making the Welding Boy turn to face him, snapping him out of his trance, jumping a little as he did and nearly slamming his head against the top bunk of the bed, making Shino chuckle a tad. Quickly, Yosetsu gave a nod, making Shino chuckle a little more. "Jeez… you need to stop doing that."

"S-Sorry…" muttered Yosetsu in embarrassment.

"Anyways, you wanna take that offer?" asked Shino, punching Yosetsu lightly on the arm. To any other person (in _Chryse_ ), it would have been a light punch. But Yosetsu, not being from the orphanage and being a little flimsy, it made him flinch in slight pain. Shino gave a quick apology before he waited for an answer, something which Yosetsu struggled to get.

For the most part, Yosetsu's mind was roaring a loud "YES!" as his answer. This was his chance to perhaps get a head start on the race track of becoming a Hero, and he really, _really_ didn't want to lose it. But on the other hand… what would his parents say to that offer? He felt that it was rather… irresponsible to take the offer without his parent's word on the matter. What if he got a black eye? Or worse, broke a bone in 'training'? How would his parents react to that…

Seemingly sensing his worries, Yamagi placed two fingers on his temple, quickly reading Yosetsu's mind, and within a few seconds the blonde figured out why, prompting him to lower his two fingers and turn to the Welding boy. "Yosetsu," he began, and, admittedly, Yamagi did smile ever so slightly when he saw Yosetsu jerk up a little. But it left his face as soon as it came. "We're not going to force you to say yes. If it's too much, you can decline the offer."

"N-No… it's not that I want to decline the offer," said Yosetsu, an answer that Yamagi had more or less predicted. "It's because…"

"You want your parents say in the matter first," finished Yamagi, and he did feel a momentary flash of pride when Yosetsu gave an embarrassed nod. With his answer, Yamagi turned to Akihiro who grunted and nodded understandingly.

"Look, Yosetsu," said Akihiro, sounding a little awkward if Yosetsu were honest. And the way Atland spoke made Yosetsu think that he was trying his very best to calm his worries regarding his family, which was obviously rather hard as he didn't necessarily have a family to begin with. But he was trying, so he had to give him credit for that. "I know that you're worried that if we bruise you, or worse… they'll be worried."

Yosetsu was left a little stunned by the fact that Akihiro had guessed all that from what he assumed to be guesswork. But once he regained his marbles, Yosetsu gave a quick nod, prompting Akihiro to continue, but the taller boy was cut off by Shino, who wrapped an arm around the Welder's neck and pulling him close in a friendly gesture… which seemed to piss Yamagi off to some degree.

"Those concerns are reasonable," said Shino with a smile as he held the smaller boy close in a somewhat friendly way. "So why don't we do this? You can keep your answer as 'I don't know' until you ask your parents. How's that sound?"

And it didn't take Yosetsu long to reply with a quick, "T-That would be nice…"

"But still…" added Shino as he rubbed his chin, a smile finding its way onto his face as both Akihiro and Yamagi quirked a brow at that. "How about a test run first?"

"Test… run?" questioned Yosetsu, a little confused.

"Yeah… like a trial? Like one of those one day trials for some sorta app on your phone?" explained Shino as best as he could. "I heard that one day trials can sometimes assist in decision making… though I could be wrong on that."

Yosetsu took a moment to think it true, before he nodded.

"... alright."

* * *

The first thing a jacket-less Mikazuki Augus heard when he, Merribit, Orga and a certain pink haired girl were about ten metres away from the _Chryse Orphanage_ , each holding a bag containing food items, with Orga holding two at once while Mika held two in his arms and had a plastic bag slung around his tail,was the sound of Akihiro and Eugene yelling at someone, though who he was yelling at was not known to them. Merribit had heard it as well, and she really hoped that nothing bad had happened.

Despite what most thought, and despite what their physical appearances would suggest, neither Eugene nor Akihiro would yell at anyone unless they were very, _very_ mad. For Eugene, it was mainly because he was usually immensely tired after overusing his Quirk, and Akihiro had what seemed to be an endless supply of patience despite his physical appearance. So hearing both of the yelling at once was… surprising to say the least. And, to all four of them, just a little worrying.

"Mikazuki…" came the voice of the pink haired girl as she held her bag of groceries, the shortest of the bunch, up close to her face in slight fear. The girl wore a light blue shirt on top of a white… shirt and light brown pants. She also wore some real heavy duty boots made more for winter seasons. In response, Mika turned towards her, and, unlike almost ninety percent of all other times, his gaze was not a threatening one, instead being a surprisingly soft… almost gentle gaze as the girl spoke. "Do you think… something bad happened at _Chryse_ …?"

Mika didn't necessarily have anything to reply with, prompting Orga to plop a hand on the top of her head, making the shorter girl pout in mild annoyance as she puffed her cheeks up adorably. "Oi now, _Atra_ ," said Orga with a gentle smile as the girl's, 'Atra', cheeks un-puffed themselves. "I don't think anyone would want to get into our fortress. Akihiro and Eugene are probably just arguing over some minor things…"

Even Atra, who wasn't always in _Chryse_ , knew that Orga was lying as Akihiro and Eugene had never argued before, mainly because the latter was always asleep on the bottom floor and Akihiro would be training his muscles on the top, away from each other, making the chances of the two of them arguing very, very low. And since she could practically one hundred percent confirm that they were not arguing, it made her small little chest well up in fear as she slowly began to fear the worse.

However, much to their relief, after Merribit had opened the door to the orphanage, they saw no intruders. However, what they saw instead wasn't that much more calming. The first thing they spotted was both Akihiro and Eugene standing in front of Ride, the former two with angered expressions stuck on their faces as they glared the latter down, though everyone who was gathered in the living room did turn to face the door once the four of them entered, all except Ride, who kept his gaze averted towards the floor in what Merribit thought to be shame.

For a moment, the four of them stayed at where they were, not moving as they stared at the group, confused as to why they were glaring at Ride in such an aggressive manner, at least until they noticed Takaki, Yosetsu and Shino sitting nearby on the couch, with Yamagi standing by the side, looking just a little sympathetic. Yosetsu sat in between Shino and Takaki, and he seemed to be… off as the two _Chryse_ kids pat his back as gently as they could, perhaps in an attempt to comfort him. They were so preoccupied with doing so that they didn't even turn to acknowledge Merribit, Mika, Orga and Atra when they had entered.

At a glance, Merribit couldn't tell what had happened. But, thanks to her Quirk, she was able to hear Yosetsu sniff and whimpered every so often, almost as though he had just finished crying… crying so much that he had no more tears to shed. And a closer look at him confirmed that. Yosetsu's usually green, scared looking eyes were now red and puffy… and his cheek… just looking at it made Merribit gasp.

Instead of his usual peach-esc skin colour, Yosetsu's right cheek was a bluish-black colour… a bruise which covered almost the entirety of his cheek. The mere sight of the bruise made Merribit widen her eyes and prompted her maternal instincts to kick in, her legs moving almost on their own and as her arms dropped their bag of groceries, though thankfully Mika shot his arms forward and snatched them out of the air before they hit the ground. Merribit didn't seem to notice or care, however, as she rushed towards Yosetsu, Shino and Takaki, who seemed to just notice the four of them.

"Yosetsu…" muttered Merribit as she knelt in front of the Welder, and she widened her eyes a little when Yosetsu turned up to look at her with those teary eyes of his. He looked so… innocent when compared to the other kids in _Chryse_ … something which made her maternal instincts double up as she seized the Welding Kid's wrists as gently as she could. "...what happened to you?"

Yosetsu said nothing in reply, simply looking away in what Merribit thought to be shame. Turning to Shino and Takaki, Merribit's expression demanded an explanation, but to her surprise, neither of them said a word, both only focusing on trying to cheer Yosetsu up as Mika, Orga and Atra, after they had placed the grocery boxes on the small table in kitchen, watched from a distance, with Atra cupping her hands together in sympathy for Yosetsu. Orga's expression was what Merribit considered to be a mild wince while Mika… he seemed to look as neutral as ever. There was something off about him, but Merribit dismissed it rather quickly, instead turning her attention back to Yosetsu. After she realized that neither Takaki nor Shino were about to answer her, she tried for another option by turning to Yamagi, who looked away from the lady with a deep frown.

Merribit didn't need to think to hard to know that Yamagi was using his Quirk, and Gilmerton himself also seemed to be able to tell that Merribit's patience wasn't that long at the moment, so after lowering his head, Yamagi closed his eyes and gave a defeated sigh.

"Yosetsu… he was punched by Ride," explained Yamagi extremely briefly, though he went on before Merribit could let the info sink into her mind. "But there's a reason for it…"

An eyebrow raised, Merribit asked, or demanded, for the reason as to why Ride did so, her usually calm voice now sounding angered and close to yelling. And even if he wanted to stay silent or lie, Yamagi knew that Merribit would make him talk/tell the truth someway or another, so, through the course of five minutes, the Memory Thief told her everything which happened over the past two hours, with Takaki, Akihiro and Eugene piping in every so often.

As it turned out, after Yosetsu had agreed to the 'one day trial' Akihiro suggested, the older boy had started by passing his dumbell to the boy see if he had what it took to lift thirty pounds (or so). And, unfortunately for everyone's expectations but also to no one's surprise, he couldn't, even after several hundred tries over the course of ten minutes. Once they realized that Yosetsu couldn't lift it, Shino suggested that they mess around downstairs for some… 'advanced training' as he called it. And when Yosetsu piped up about Eugene, Shino shushed and told him to just pretend he wasn't there.

The advanced training, as it turned out, was basically a kid-friendly version of fighting… at least it was how Yosetsu would described it. Every punch which was thrown at him during this… 'fighting session' was slow, something which he managed to counter with Shino or Akihiro's instructions. However, despite the blows being slow and considerably easy to counter, Yosetsu still found himself panicking, much to Yamagi's amusement as he sat on the couch, right in front of Eugene's legs, as he watched. Hell, even after Eugene was abruptly woken up, the Rubberclad Defender didn't complain about being awoken from his rest and joined Yamagi in watching the small 'fight', apparently energised enough from his sleep.

By the one hour mark after the 'advanced training exercise', Ride and Takaki had woken up. And once the duo had made their way down to the bottom floor, they almost immediately volunteered to help 'assist' in Yosetsu's training trial. Akihiro took a full five minutes to reluctantly agree to those terms… though he quickly regretted it when Ride stepped up to help train Yosetsu's… reaction time.

While Takaki, like Shino and Akihiro used slow fighting motions against Yosetsu, Ride's strikes were quite the opposite. Every one of his punches were fast and containing almost all his power. To give Yosetsu some credit, he had, out of some panic-driven adrenaline, managed to dodge a jab and right hook, but he wasn't fast enough to dodge a left hook to his jaw. The strike had nearly dislocated his jaw, something which had thankfully not happened. Instead, however, it sent him flying backr, landing on his belly and clutching a bruised cheek as he recovered.

And that had more or less led them here, with Shino and Takaki trying to calm Yosetsu while Eugene and Akihiro railed on Ride for doing such a reckless action. Yamagi did not do either, instead standing by the side and watching silently. He had apparently intended on giving support whenever he could, though he didn't necessarily get a chance as Shino and Takaki had done a pretty good job at calming Yosetsu down.

Once she processed all the information which Yamagi had given her, the woman felt ready to give the people who suggested this training trail a good scolding, one which was at least five times more intense than the one Akihiro and Eugene threw at Ride. But still, she didn't exactly want to get Yosetsu involved in all that mess. Sure, it was technically his fault as he agreed to taking that 'training trial', but she decided that it was something for his parents to resolve, not her. Her first thought was to tell the Welder to leave for home, but judging by his facial expression and shaking figure, Merribit didn't really know if he would be able to get home by himself without tripping a couple of times.

Merribit took less than a second to decide to send someone to follow him back to his home. Looking around, the orphanage owner automatically outed Eugene for the task. Takaki, Yamagi and Ride were also outed without a second thought. She had considered Akihiro or Shino, but she wanted to have a stern talk to them, so she outed them after some consideration. And that left only Orga and Mika.

Orga was the one which Merribit considered first, but she reconsidered that when she remembered that it would be best if Itsuka stayed behind to help with this mess as the orphanage children were more likely to listen to him than they were to her. So that left her with Mika… and if she were honest, it was rather unsurprising. Yosetsu was Mika's first friend/acquaintance, after all, and the same applied vice versa. Yosetsu undoubtedly trusted Augus more than anyone here, enough to be escorted home by him.

"Mikazuki," said Merribit once she confirmed that Mika would be the one to escort Yosetsu home. The boy in question turned to glance at Merribit, a raisin halfway up to his mouth, as she spoke. "Can you bring Yosetsu back home? I don't doubt that Yosetsu can return home on his own, but it would be better if you followed him just in case."

Mika simply ate his raisin and nodded. Once he swallowed, Mika cleared his throat. "Ah. Just let me get my jacket."

Merribit gave a nod, which seemed to be the 'go' sign for Mika, who made his way up the stairs of the orphanage and into the room he shared with the other three older boys. While he was gone, the living room became eerily silent. Merribit intended on scolding the people involved in this, _big time_ , once Augus had left with Awase, though the genuinely regretful look on everyone's faces made her reconsider it. Thankfully, however, a gentle tug on her sleeve took her out of her minor trance and look down to spot Atra looking up at her. Crouching down onto one knee to look Mixta in the eye, Merribit asked her, "Yes, Atra?"

"I was wondering…" said Atra, poking her fingers together in some form of nervousness. "Could I tag along with Mikazuki and Yosetsu…? I could always…"

Trailing off when she said "always", Atra waved her hands a little cutely, signifying something to Merribit. It was a strange motion, but Merribit, having seen it multiple times, more than enough times to know what it meant, gave a small nod and a slightly smaller smile. "Yes, you can. You didn't even need to ask, Atra."

Upon hearing that, Atra's cheeks brightened up in embarrassment as looked down at the floor. Merribit gave a soft chuckle in amusement as she turned to face Yosetsu, who still looked to be in some amount of pain. Just looking at his expression made Merribit's heart contract a little, but before she could try to comfort him, Mika came stomping down the top floor, his blue shirt now topped with a green, padded jacket custom made for him.

Upon seeing him, Merribit assisted Yosetsu onto his feet. The Welder stood a little shakily, but he didn't topple over as he straightened himself up and thanked the Orphanage owner. Merribit nodded in response as he went over towards the door alongside Augus and Mixta and sent them off.

Once the three were gone, Shino cleared his throat, making Merribit turn to face him. "Merribit-Sama…" began Shino, sounding just a little nervous as he poked his index fingers together. "Why did you ask Mika to escort him back home… of all people?"

Opening her mouth and lifting an index finger up into the air, Merribit was about to reply, but Orga spoke up for her.

"Isn't it obvious, Shino?" said Orga as he crossed his arms, smirking ever so slightly at Norba. "Mika's Yosetsu's friend, kinda. And he probably trusts him more than he does us. That, and I don't think Merribit-San would want any of you guys to escape her wrath."

Turning to look at Merribit, the remaining Orphans looked to her for confirmation, and she gave a rather smug nod in response to their stares, though a small question still poked at Takaki's brain.

"...what about you, Orga? Why… didn't she consider you?" asked Takaki, scratching his cheek. In response, Orga gave a soft chuckle.

"I'm here to help Merribit keep you guys in line while she yells," said Orga, sounding sarcastic, though the expression on Merribit's face suggested that he was on point. Though there was also a strange expression underneath that stoic expression of hers. Curious, Yamagi focused in a little, taking a while to get into her head as she had a more disciplined mind when compared to the rest of them. But, unfortunately for Yamagi's curiosity, he never got to figure out what she was thinking off as Merribit abruptly whirled over to face all of them, her eyes almost burning as though they were the gates of Hell themselves.

And to his side, Yamagi heard Shino give a loud gulp.

* * *

 **Elsewhere**

The trek to Yosetsu's house, or apartment complex if one were to be specific, was very uneventful to say the least.

Neither Atra, Mikazuki nor Yosetsu had uttered a single word through the entire trek. They didn't even make much of a sound outside of their rather silent breathing or the occasional cough or squeak from Yosetsu whenever he rubbed his bruise in an attempt to nurse it.

Despite both Yosetsu and Mika not being considered to be talkers, Atra could tell rather clearly that both of them were much more silent than usual, more so Mika than Yosetsu as the girl knew more about the former than the latter, enough to know how to read the boy almost like an open book… almost. It was something which Merribit considered to be her 'girl instincts' acting up. Atra didn't exactly know what that meant, but she never really thought much of it.

To an outsider, Augus would have looked as neutral as he usually was. Both hands stuffed into his pockets, expression neutral and occasionally chomping on a raisin he'd find at the bottom of his pocket. But Atra, as stated above, could read the boy almost like an open book, one which she had read countless of times before, often noticing minor details in Mika's body language which even Orga, Mika's closest friend, has missed on multiple occasions. For example, she noted that Mika's brows were lower than they usually were, and his neutral frown was just a little deeper than usual. Other minor details included the occasional glances Augus gave Yosetsu, and Atra swore that he actually looked… worried.

As for Yosetsu, Atra, despite knowing him for… at most thirty to forty minutes at best, she knew enough about him, thanks to Mika telling her about the boy on multiple occasions, to tell that something was up with him. From what she heard about him from Mika, she knew that Yosetsu was a decently cheerful boy, almost always rocking a cheerful/nervous smile or a rather comically horrified expression whenever he thought he angered a _Chryse_ orphan. The boy, according to Augus once more, also tended to sport several variations of his horrified expression, all with varying degrees of hilarity or terror, though the latter expression would usually only be seen when he was face to face with Kio.

Now, however, the boy was flashing an expression which Mika had never described to her before. It was, in the simplest term, neutral. There was no smile, no frown, no nothing. His mouth was simply a thin line, and his eyes… they were almost as void of emotion as Mika's. Puffy and almost bloodshot red, Atra couldn't easily identify any form of emotion in Awase, something which sent a chill up her little spine as it went against everything Mika had told her about him. However, after a few minutes of staring, Atra could identify a rather unexpected emotion in Yosetsu's eyes; shame.

Upon noticing that, Atra seemed ready to say something about it in an attempt to lighten up Awase's mood, but the unusually silent Welder suddenly spoke up, wincing as his cheek hurt a tad from the sudden movement. But it didn't stop him from speaking up when were in front of a huge HDB apartment complex. "W-Well… this is it, I guess…"

Despite it looking rather plain, for the most part anyways, both Mikazuki and Atra found themselves gaping up at it, more so Atra than Mika, who gave an audible "ah…" as she looked at it while Mika just stared with semi-wide eyes and both eyebrows raised in what Yosetsu and Atra assumed to be a mild form of amazement at the structure.

"I mean… it's not exactly impressive…" muttered Yosetsu out of embarrassed modesty as he scratched the back of his neck, seemingly ignoring his bruised cheek as he spoke. And, to Atra's delight, he sounded somewhat positive as he spoke. "It's a normal… r-run down… everyday HDB flat… I'm sure you guys have seen it on more t-than one occasion…"

"No," was his immediate response from Augus, making Yosetsu turn his head to stare at him in surprise. Mika, on the other hand, kept his gaze on the massive apartment complex as he spoke. "We only really seen these things in the distance, never up close like this."

"S-So… you're saying that this is…" muttered Yosetsu, scratching his chin… his _bruised_ chin on accident, and wincing in pain as he did, prompting Atra, and to a lesser extend, Mikazuki, to jerk upwards a little in concern, but to their relief, the Welder seemed to recover from it rather quickly. "You're s-saying that my the flat that my house is built in is… the first one you've seen up close?"

"Yep!" proclaimed Atra rather cheerily, trying to make the best of Yosetsu's sudden change in emotion as she flashed a wide smile. "Though it's… larger than what I expected. They always look so small from where me and Mika usually see them from…"

"Yeah… g-guess so…" muttered Yosetsu with a nod as he awkwardly scratched his head. Seeing that they had nothing else to speak about, Yosetsu led the way towards the elevator which he always took to get up to his house's floor. The trio got in, and Atra insisted on hitting the elevator button for Yosetsu… only to accidentally hit two more buttons than necessary. Yosetsu didn't seem to mind having the elevator stop on the second and fifth floor, however, as all he did in response to Atra's adorable antic was a soft, and rather awkward, chuckle. Mika, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice as he leaned against the side of the elevator until the thing reached the sixth floor.

Marching up to his apartment block's door, Yosetsu slid his hand into his pocket and fished out a keyring which held three keys and a small keychain which was styled after _Crimson Typhoon's_ shoulder armour emblem. The boy had told Mika what each key was for. The smallest was for his rainy day jar he kept in his room, the medium sized one for his school locker, and the largest for his house. As for the _Crimson Typhoon_ keychain, Yosetsu had apparently gotten it on his sixth birthday and still considered it to be the best thing he's ever received.

Opening the door to his house took Yosetsu much longer than both Mika and Atra expected, though that was most likely thanks to the fact that his hands were shaking rather violently as he unbolted the door. Once he was done, the Welder slipped off both his shoes and stepped in. Turning on his heel once he was inside his house, the boy's expression seemed to change from nervously happy to surprised when he noticed that both Atra and Mika were not coming in. And, without thinking, the boy voiced out what was on his mind. "Y-You two… aren't coming in…?"

Right when those words left his mouth, several seconds of uncomfortable silence followed. During these few seconds, Atra's eyes seemed to widen just a tad, perhaps in surprise, while Mika's brows moved up his face a little, presumably in some mild form of shock. As for Yosetsu, he realized the question which he had just asked and was now mentally yelling at himself for asking it so abruptly. But, thankfully, before Yosetsu could begin to panic, Atra slapped both her palms against her cheeks, adorably squishing them in the process, while smiling very, very widely.

"We weren't sure if you'd let us in!" said Atra, her palms still on her cheeks. Mika, on the other hand, gave a small nod as he slid both his hands into his jacket pockets. Once he finished nodding, Atra slapped both her thighs with her hands and bent forward in an anime-esc fashion. "We'd gladly come in!"

And when she said that, Yosetsu's mind almost immediately went trailing off in a different direction… one which led towards the panic button in his brain. He had not expected Atra to say that… and even worse, Yosetsu has never had any visitors in his house prior to today! Not even relatives as most of them lived in other regions which were far from the Sea of Japan. To add onto that panic-inducing (for Yosetsu) thought, Awase didn't have any prior permission from his parents! The boy always had permission from at least one family member before he did… well… _anything_ , after all.

Thankfully for Yosetsu's paranoid mind, however, Mika had extended a hand in front of his face and snapped his fingers impressively loudly, perhaps louder than necessarily to snap the Welder out of it as the boy had quite literally jumped up and hit the ceiling when he heard the snap. The sudden action took Mika by surprise, prompting him to flinch ever so slightly and take a small step back. As quickly as he could, Yosetsu regained his bearings and furiously shook his head to get back to reality. "W-Wha…?"

"You weren't moving for a while," pointed out Mika rather straightforwardly as he stared at Yosetsu in mild amusement. "Atra told me to wake you up."

"O-Oh…" muttered Yosetsu, his face glowing red in embarrassment as he chuckled nervously, only for his cheek bruise to hurt a little as he did, though thankfully, the pain only stayed for a second before leaving. Once it left, however, the boy turned back to both Mika and Atra, who were still waiting for him to reply to the smaller girl's question.

For a moment, Yosetsu was about to say no. The boy nearly said the word before he reconsidered it rather quickly. Was this what he wanted… to let them in? Simply put, yes. Yosetsu didn't want to say no to them… on the contrary, he wanted them to come in and just have a sit down. Sure, they might not speak much, but he has always wanted visitors. He did have his concerns regarding his parents finding out that he invited his… friends over without their permission, but he had a feeling that they would be more focused on his bruise than him inviting Mika and Atra in.

"W-Well… if you guys… want t-to… you guys c-can come in…" stuttered Yosetsu nervously, poking his index fingers together in the process. Mika gave a nod and diverted his gaze towards Atra, who was practically glowing, metaphorically, with excitement. Quickly, Yosetsu took a step to the side, allowing both Mika and Atra to step in, after slipping their shoes/boots off first, anyways.

Once inside, the two of his visitors seemed to be at least a little impressed with Yosetsu's house, with Atra more so than Mika as, unlike Augus, the girl had her eyes wide and mouth rather agape as she stared around the place, making an "oooooh…" sound as she did. The unexpected reaction from Mixta made Yosetsu blush a tad and scratching his 'not bruised' chin.

After Yosetsu shut the main door of his house, he made his way towards his room, wishing to have a seat on his bed or swivel chair. He had expected Mika and Atra to linger outside, but to his surprise, the two of them followed him in, which made him tense up ever so slightly. Still, it didn't stop him from taking a seat on the edge of his bed somewhat nervously as Augus and Atra took glances around Yosetsu's room, with the latter looking more amazed than the former.

Atra's genuine awe at Yosetsu's room made the boy blush in a small amount of embarrassment. He had never expected anyone to consider his small room to be in any way impressive. The only things which stood out were the few posters of _Bael_ , _Crimson Typhoon_ , _Tacit Ronin_ and several other Heroes which hung on his room walls and a pair of small _Bael_ and _Crimson Typhoon_ figures which stood at the back of Yosetsu's desk. Aside from those two features, however, everything else was very… bland, to say the least. A regular white/grey study table, a medium sized drawer which housed, among other things, at least five pairs of clothing and several books regarding Heroes, and of course, his bed which was about… two metres in length. It was big enough for two people around his size to sleep in if they really squeezed into it.

Quickly, Atra moved over to every single part of Yosetsu's room, eyes shining brightly as she inspected every last detail, from large ones like his curtains which were decorated with the symbol of _Bael_ to the minor ones like the small _Gipsy Danger_ symbol which was stuck onto his table lamp. Amused, Yosetsu unintentionally raised his hand to scratch his cheek out of habit once more, only for his finger to poke his bruised cheek rather deeply, making him widen his eyes and yelp a little louder than necessary. The yelp made both Atra and Mika jerk their heads towards the boy, and Atra's eyes seemed to widen in some form of realization as she seemed to remember something.

"Oh dear!" proclaimed Atra as she held both sides of her head as her eyes widened. Her sudden yell made Yosetsu jump a little, and, to his surprise, made Mika flinch a tad. But Atra didn't seem to notice as she zipped up right in front of Yosetsu. Her sudden appearance in front of him, almost as though she teleported, made the Welder yelp and nearly fall back, but Mika bolted forward and grabbed his arm before he managed to land backfirst onto his bed. The Welder quickly thanked Augus whilst Atra giggled in embarrassment.

"Sorry about that…" apologised Atra as she scratched the back of her neck, giving a small, awkward smile as she did. The smile was so adorable that Yosetsu had to look away for a moment, unintentionally turning left, giving both Atra and Mika a closer look at his bruised right cheek. Yosetsu had expected Atra to ask if he was alright, but what he didn't expect was for her to widen her eyes a little as she rested a small (at least half the size of Yosetsu's) hand on his bruise. The Welder flinched a little in pain as her hand made contact with his blue-black cheek, but her touch was so gentle that he didn't feel anything more than a small, subtle stinging feeling on his injury.

"It's badly bruised…" muttered Atra with a large amount of sympathy in her voice. "Blue black… Ride really hit you hard…"

Yosetsu replied to that with a small nod, hoping that Atra didn't notice his cheek which was almost glowing red. Thankfully, his bruise was covering the blush on his right cheek, the only perk of the mild injury of his. "Yeah…" was the only thing Yosetsu said as he turned back to face Mixta, who was still staring at him with her large, sympathetic eyes. "My parents are gonna give me a good scolding…"

"Maybe…" muttered Atra, smiling sweetly as she spoke. "But I think I can help you avoid that."

Eyebrows raised and mouth slightly open, Yosetsu looked at Atra as though she were joking. Turning to Mika, the boy gave a small shrug, expression unchanging as he did. "W-What do you mean…?"

"Just turn your head to the side," said Atra, effectively shushing Yosetsu as she spoke. The boy quickly nodded and did as Atra said, letting her have a full view of his bruise. Inching close to it, Atra seemed to inspect it for a moment as she ever so gently rubbed it with two fingers. The action made Yosetsu wince a little, but it didn't really hurt much.

For the first few seconds, nothing happened. Atra simply kept her finger plastered against Yosetsu's bruise, closing her eyes as she did, occasionally twitching her eyelids a little. Behind her, Mika simply watched, hands in his jacket's pocket. Whenever Yosetsu fidgeted a little, Augus would motion for him to stay still. The Welder assumed that Atra was activating her Quirk, though if that was the case, then it was taking some time to come to life. Finally, however, after about fifteen seconds, Yosetsu feld something… off on his cheek.

His cheek was beginning to feel… cold, freezing cold, as Atra kept her finger on it. At first, the cold sensation was subtle, but as time went on the feeling became much, much more noticeable, up to the point where it began to hurt. Thankfully, however, right before Yosetsu could yell out in pain, Atra removed her two fingers, taking the cold, stinging sensation along with it.

"There!" said Atra triumphantly, stepping back and placing her hands on her hips in an adorable fashion as she stared proudly at Yosetsu's cheek. Mika did the same, though unlike Atra, he didn't flash a massive smile and kept his hands crossed and off his hips. Confused, the Welder instinctively shot a hand up to his right cheek, only to have his eyes slowly widen as he realized that the bruise was gone. Nothing was left on his cheek, no pain when he poked it, as though the bruise had never even existed.

Staring at Atra, Yosetsu found himself widening his eyes in amazement as he did. The girl before him had just healed a wound which would have taken a few weeks to completely disappear in just a matter of seconds. That was certainly impressive in Yosetsu's eyes. Sure, it wasn't on the level of _Recovery Girl_ , but for what it was, Yosetsu found it amazing.

"Yosetsu? Are you alright?" muttered Atra as she waved a hand in front of Yosetsu's face. The boy in question immediately jerked upwards and nodded, prompting Atra to smile and cup her hands together.

"Y-Yeah!" stuttered Yosetsu, still holding his formerly bruised cheek in mild shock. Atra seemed satisfied with his answer as she gave an adorable fistpump, and Yosetsu swore that he saw Mika flashing the faintest of smiles when she did. Though two seconds after the fistbump, the three kids heard a loud grumble echoe in the room. The grumble made Yosetsu widen his eyes, thinking that a Villain had stumbled onto them, prompting him to tense up. As for Atra and Mika, however, they stood at where they were, with the latter looking as neutral as he usual was while the former's face slowly turned red as she scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"Heh… sorry about that, Yosetsu…" muttered Atra as she flashed an awkward smile, something which made the Welder turn to face her. "But… uh… d-do you have anything here to eat?"

Opening his mouth, Yosetsu was about to ask why, but the loud grumble cut him off. And it was then when he realized that the grumble was coming from Atra. Noticing that Yosetsu seemed to realize that fact, Atra gave a soft, awkward chuckle. "Yeah… there's…" Yosetsu paused for a moment to remember what they had in their kitchen. "I have a piece of cake left in the fridge…"

Eyes sparkling as Yosetsu mentioned the word 'cake', Atra enthusiastically asked if she could have it. Yosetsu didn't have the heart to decline, so he simply nodded and watched her zip off to the kitchen, unintentionally heading in the wrong direction and into Yosetsu's parents room before correcting her course and going in the right direction.

"S-She's pretty excited to get some cake…" muttered Yosetsu, mildly amused. Mika nodded in response.

"She really likes cakes," said Augus as he averted his gaze towards Awase. "Though she wouldn't have asked if her Quirk didn't have that side effect…"

"Side effect…?" questioned Awase, tilting his head every so slightly to the side. Noticing that his 'friend' seemed confused, Mika decided to give him a brief explanation.

* * *

 **Atra Mixta**

 **Quirk: Healer's Touch**

 **As the name implies, Atra's Quirk allows her to heal almost anyone as long as she has physical contact with the wound which she wishes to heal. Atra's Quirk only works when she presses two fingers (index and middle) on the wound and including an extra or only one finger will not activate her Quirk. The amount of time her Quirk takes to heal a person largely depends on the severity of their wound, with small bruises taking less than a minute to heal and major wounds such as fractured bones taking up to ten minutes.**

 **Her 'patients' also talk about feeling a cold sensation on their wound whenever they are being healed. No one knows why, not even Atra, though Yamagi has theorised that it is to help numb the pain as she heals the wound. Her Quirk also takes up a lot of energy, meaning that she'll need to eat something after she uses it, though how hungry she is largely depends on how long she took to heal a wound.**

* * *

Once Mika finished his brief explanation, Yosetsu gave a nod and wondered how strange that side effect was… being at least a little hungry after every use of her Quirk. But still, it didn't stop him from being a little jealous of it, as he usually was. It was apparently a normal thing for him, to be envious of a person who had a stronger Quirk, be it a passive or offensive suited one.

While Yosetsu was thinking about Atra's Quirk, Mika found himself looking at the boy with some curiosity. Like Atra, Mika could tell that Yosetsu was feeling some form of shame on their way to this place. Mika, despite having about it ever since the three of them left the orphanage, said nothing about it. If anything, he himself was also wondering why Yosetsu seemingly felt as such. Why would the boy feel shameful, of all things…

Finally, the silence brought on by Atra leaving the room was broken when Mika decided to speak up and ask Yosetsu to satisfy his curiosity. "Are you all right?"

The sudden voice of Mikazuki made Yosetsu yelp and jerk upwards, his arms flailing around as though he were about to get punched as he did. The unexpected, and admittedly comical, reaction from Yosetsu made Mika raise his brows in amusement as his… _friend_ fumbled for a response. "Y-Yeah!" was what Awase settled on responding with, a rather comical expression on his face as he did. "I mean… the bruise is gone…"

"That's not what I meant," said Mika, crossing his arms as he spoke. And Yosetsu felt a harsh shiver go up his spine when he saw Mika narrow his eyes at him, tensing up and pressing his lips up at that rather cold gaze of the boy. "Before we got here, you seemed off."

"W-What do you mean by that…?" asked Yosetsu, panicking a little as his face heated up.

"You were acting weird just now," replied Mika, and Yosetsu felt his heart speed up to the point where she was afraid that it would burst out of his chest. "I want to know why."

Despite his slowly growing panic, Yosetsu managed to notice that Mika seemed to sound… concerned for him? It was a surprise, as every other time when Mika spoke to him, no matter what topic they were discussing, in a neutral tone. So to hear Augus sound concern, despite that tone sounding subtle, made Yosetsu feel a rather warm and fuzzy feeling on the inside.

"Yosetsu, are you there?" came Mika's voice after a few seconds, snapping Yosetsu out of his trance as he whirled his head towards Augus, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Mika was still staring at him expectantly for an answer, and he decided to not keep him waiting. Sure, he was mildly nervous, but he didn't have the heart to either not reply or lie to Augus after hearing some form of concern in his voice. So, with a rather shaky nod, Yosetsu replied.

"W-Well…" muttered Yosetsu, hugging his knees as he did. He didn't exactly know how to word this, but he did his best anyways. "I guess… I find myself a little hopeless…"

"Hopeless?" questioned Mika, tilting his head to the side in mild confusion.

"Y-Yeah…" confirmed Yosetsu as he cupped his hands together. "I… I couldn't even dodge a few simple punches from Ride…"

"How does _that_ make you hopeless?" asked Mika, sounding just a little demanding, though Yosetsu didn't notice it in his tone.

"W-Well…" said Yosetsu, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "If I can't even dodge or block more than three simple punches from Ride… who's younger than me… I don't see how I can do any better… much less become an actual Hero…"

When he finished, Yosetsu thought that he saw Mika flash a small smile as he exhaled rather sharply. The _Chryse_ resident closed his eyes as his Tail swished around behind him, almost as though it was reflecting his amusement as the boy began thinking of a reply to Awase. He did so for about half a minute before opening his eyes and smiling ever so slightly. And when he spoke, Yosetsu thought that he sounded at least a tiny bit amused.

"Yosetsu," started Augus, stuffing his hands into his pockets. And, while Yosetsu wasn't able to tell, Mika was choosing his words rather carefully, not wishing to make his 'friend' feel any worse than he already did, something which surprised even Augus. But Mika didn't put too much thought into it as he continued. "Comparing you to Ride isn't fair."

Opening his mouth, Yosetsu was about to agree with that sentence, intending to say that Ride, despite being younger than him, could very easily smack him around if he so wished, but Mika didn't give him time to do so. "Ride's been training for every single day in the past five years, and you haven't trained even once."

That fact was rather plain to him. Yosetsu, despite having the ambition of becoming a Hero, has never really trained… at all, honestly. The most he's ever done was trying to lift a ten kilogram dumbbell off the floor, something which he didn't manage to do that well. "I… I know that it's unfair… but I just… just c-can't stop thinking that it's… shameful. To know and accept that a ten year old is better than I am…"

In response, Mika shook his head, looking very slightly annoyed as he did. Even his Tail seemed to reflect his annoyance as it wrapped around the boy's neck like a noose as he spoke. "Yosetsu. Let me put it this way: Yamagi said that you dodged two of Ride's punches, right?"

"Y-Yeah…" confirmed Yosetsu, and while he did feel a small amount of fleeting pride at that, the Welder still felt ashamed that he only dodged two strikes.

"Hm…" muttered Mika, and he sounded… impressed as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Do you know that Ride's punches are the fastest of all of us?"

Hearing that made Yosetsu widen his eyes rather intensely. As for Augus, he stayed silent, giving Yosetsu some time to realize that he had dodged two punches from the most frantic fighter of _Chryse_.

Mika wasn't lying when he said that Ride was the fastest and most frantic fighter of the _Chryse_ boys. It was apparently a trait Ride picked up before he got to _Chryse_ , though he wasn't able to confirm it as Mass never shared much about his past to anyone. Takaki, however, theorised that it was possibly because the Sprayer absolutely loved to consume large amounts of sugar on a daily schedule, something that made him extremely energetic. Yamagi, on the other hand, suspected that it was because of his Quirk as, whenever he used it, a lot of energy would be built up in his arms. That energy build up in his arms may have explained why he was such a frantic fist fighter. Both theories were rather solid, though Mika prefered to believe Takaki more so than Yamagi, mainly because it was more interesting to him.

After about a minute, what Mika had said had finally settled into Yosetsu's brain, and it seemed to be overloading it as Awase's mouth hung wide open and his eyes were widened beyond belief. The expression on Yosetsu's face amused Mika to a small extent, though he wasn't sure if Awase could reply (properly, anyways) as his expression told him that he was a little… stumped, enough to leave him speechless, something that prompted his friend to clear his throat.

"If you ask me," said Mika as he walked up to Yosetsu, snapping the boy out of it to some extent. He watched, a little nervously, as Mika walked up to him, only stopping when he was right in front of him. And, to Yosetsu's surprise, Mika extended an arm towards him and rested his hand on his shoulder. Yosetsu had expected the feeling to be at least a little painful as Augus was known to have a strong grip, something he had seen enough times (thanks to Kio) to confirm it, but to his surprise, it felt… gentle. The only thing which got his attention more than that action, however, was the look that Mika was giving him. It wasn't his usual, neutral stare. Instead, his eyes seemed to show a small amount of emotion, though Awase couldn't exactly tell what it was. "I think that you show more potential than most of the stronger members in either _Chryse_ or _Bandai_."

"P-Potential…?" muttered Yosetsu, looking at Augus with wide eyes.

"Potential to become a Hero," said Mika, removing his hand from Yosetsu's shoulder as he slipped both hands into his pant pockets. "Unlike the rest of us in _Chryse_ , you have the proper education needed to become a Hero. And unlike our classmates, you have enough heart to become one. All you read need the proper physical training… and to be a little more assertive."

Right as Mikazuki mentioned his assertiveness, the boy gave Awase a gentle poke to his chest, something that made him wince as he stared up at his pal. Odd… did Mikazuki look this… _heroic_ when he first met him? He didn't think so, but something about what he had just said made the boy look at him with a different perspective, enough to almost give him a mild heart attack…

Thankfully, however, Yosetsu's heart attack had to reschedule when Atra stumbled back into his room, holding her tummy and flashing a dreamy smile. When they noticed her, Mika took a step back away from Yosetsu, and turned to face the girl, his neutral expression melting away to make way for a mildly worried expression. "...Atra? Are you alright?"

"Yeah!" said Atra as she wiped the edge of her mouth, wiping a small smear of chocolate cream off it in the process. With that done, she flashed a toothy smile, revealing that all her teeth were slathered with chocolate icing. Both Mika and Yosetsu felt at least a little amused when they saw her teeth, with Yosetsu flashing a smile at the sight. "It was great! Did your mum bake it?"

"W-Well… no…" muttered Yosetsu, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "We got it down the street… at _Greta Jaeger's Bakery_ … my mum's friends with Mrs Jaeger…"

Atra gave a nod as she walked into the room and taking a seat on Yosetsu's swivel chair. The girl seemed keen on spinning around on it, something that Mika watched with, shockingly enough, a smile on his face, telling Awase that he was at least a little… _fond_ of Atra. However, before he could think any deeper into that, the pink haired girl spoke up as she stopped the chair from spinning.

"So… do you have anything you'd like to do?" asked Atra, holding a hand to her forehead. In response, Yosetsu turned to face Mika, who gave a nonchalant shrug at that. Seeing as Mika didn't have any idea as to what they should do, Yosetsu took a quick look around his room before his eyes locked onto his old _Monopoly_ box stuck under his table.

"Well…"

* * *

 **Several hours later**

Walking along the streets of Niigata, Yuuko and Takumi slogged back towards their home, eyelids heavy and legs barely keeping themselves upright, much less allowing them to walk. Thankfully, however, the duo managed to keep their eyes opened and stayed on their feet, and owing to their currently exhausted nature, neither Yuuko nor Takumi noticed Mikazuki walking up towards them, a small figure cradled in his arms as he did, until he was right in front of them.

"Mikazuki?" was what Yuuko could really mutter out when Augus was right in front of her, making the boy look up at the woman. Unlike them, Mika didn't seem tired in the slightest. On the contrary, the child seemed to be wide awake, though the same couldn't be said for the figure which was curled up in his arms, a girl with pink hair and a blue jacket. She was fast asleep in Mika's arms, looking rather comfortable despite what she was currently sleeping on.

"Yuuko-San," greeted Mika, before turning to face Takumi. "Takumi-San."

"...why are you out here at this time?" asked Takumi, sounding just a little concerned as he rubbed his eyes. It wasn't exactly an unwarranted question, however, as it was somewhere before eleven. The sun had gone down a very, _very long_ time ago, and even a child from _Chryse_ would be asleep by now. Or at least that was what both of Yosetsu's parents assumed, anyways. They had not asked about when the kids slept in _Chryse_ before.

"I… we were at Yosetsu's home," replied Mika, sounding and looking as he usually did, adjusting his grip on the girl, Atra, who was currently being cradled like a baby.

"Might I ask why?" asked Yuuko, cupping her hands together, looking just a bit worried. That feeling only grew when Mika's eyelid twitched ever so subtly. The boy didn't reply for a moment, perhaps trying to think of a proper response, only to give a mild nod as he did.

"We were just visiting," replied the boy after a few seconds. And before either adult could ask anything else, Augus took a step to the side and walked past them, not paying them any more attention as he waltzed off. As they watched the boy head off, Yuuko considered walking them back to _Chryse_ , but they were out of eyeshot by the time she thought of it.

"I never really expected Yosetsu to invite friends over so quickly…" muttered Takumi as he watched Mika round a corner. Turning to look at him, Yuuko saw that, as she had expected, Takumi didn't look anywhere close to angry. In all honesty, she thought he looked delighted. "Maybe that means that he's finally opening up to friends…"

"I hope so," agreed Yuuko as the two continued walking towards their house. It took them about fifteen minutes, more or less, to get to their HDB flat and up to the sixth floor. When they got into their house, the two expected to meet Yosetsu to be greeting them right away, only to be surprised when they saw that he was still in his room. It was a little strange as, on weekends, Yosetsu would almost always, practically without fail, dash out to greet his parents no matter how tired he was.

"Yosetsu…?" muttered Yuuko as she took a peek into Yosetsu's room, only to notice that her son was kneeling down, halfway through placing his old _Monopoly_ board into a slot in his drawer. He didn't seem to notice his parents until Yuuko called his name, as when he turned to look at them, his eyes widened a little as though he didn't even hear them open the door back then.

"M-Mum…?" muttered Yosetsu before as he rubbed his right eye rather roughly. The action made Yuuko chuckle as, in her eyes, almost every antic which her son did would look adorable. But on this specific day, he seemed slightly more tired than he usually was, as evident by the fact that he was rubbing his eyes more often than usual.

"Hey there, Yosetsu," replied Yuuko as she entered his room and knelt beside her kid. "I didn't exactly expect you to play this again…"

"W-Well…" muttered Yosetsu as Takumi peaked stared into his room. "I didn't exactly play it alone…"

"You played it with Mika and that girl, didn't ya?" piped up Takumi, making both Yuuko and Yosetsu turn to face the man who now stood by the door to his son's room. Yosetsu seemed shocked that he knew that Augus and Mixta had came by earlier, and his surprised expression made Takumi chuckle. "We bumped into em' earlier when we were coming home."

"O-Oh…" muttered Yosetsu, flashing a small, sheepish smile as he scratched his right cheek awkwardly. "I thought y-you suddenly grew a t-telepathic Quirk…"

That comment freed Yuuko to give a soft chuckle while Yosetsu scratched the back of his neck and gave an awkward laugh. Takumi simply smirked and nodded as he entered the room. Yuuko, on the other hand, decided that now was the time to leave as she seemed to be sweating a little more than her husband and probably required a bath more than Takumi did.

With Yuuko gone, Takumi suddenly felt a lot more awkward. He didn't know why, but whenever Yuuko was around, he found that he spoke to Yosetsu a lot more freely, able to come up with witty remarks and clever jokes to cheer his son up. But the complete opposite happened whenever he was alone with his son. The man would end up saying some very, very awkward things if he were alone with his kid.

And, unfortunately, Takumi ended up letting an awkward conversation starter slip past his lips.

"So… erm…" muttered Takumi as he rubbed his cheek rather awkwardly right when Yosetsu finished placing his _Monopoly_ set in his drawer. His voice caught his son's attention, making him turn up to face him. "How was… uh… the visit?"

"Oh… w-well…" said Yosetsu as he sat down on the floor. The boy rubbed his chin for a moment before he spoke up, telling Takumi everything which happened in the past few hours, which mainly consisted of him, Mika and Atra messing around with the _Monopoly_ board. Takumi, sensing that this would be a long chat, decided to take a seat on Yosetsu's swivel chair, something his son didn't mind.

Apparently, Atra was a great _Monopoly_ player. Yosetsu had not asked her why as he thought it would have been rude, which made Takumi chuckle ever so slightly in amusement. Mika, on the other hand, was… to put it mildly… terrible at the game. He had apparently used up all his 'money' within the first round, something which even Yosetsu had never been able to do when playing with his parents.

And, according to his son, the final score between Yosetsu, Atra and Mika was five, twenty three and zero, respectively, and the remarkable difference between the scores made Takumi give out a low, almost impressed whistle.

"Not bad," said Takumi with a chuckle as he smirked. "You'll get em next time, boy."

"Y-Yeah!" said Yosetsu with a small fistbump. "I will!"

Seeing his son as pumped up as he was made Takumi smirk, though that pumped up expression soon faded, replaced by a slightly nervous look. Raising an eyebrow, Takumi was about to ask if something was up before his son cut him off.

"Hey… u-um… dad?" muttered Yosetsu as he stared up at his dad, looking just a tiny bit nervous as he tapped his fingers against each other. "I… have a slight q-question for you…"

"Oh? Ask away, son," said Takumi as he leaned towards Yosetsu so that he could listen in better.

"W-Well… I was wondering…" replied Yosetsu, hugging his knees rather awkwardly. "What would you say if I requested… training…?"

"Training," muttered Takumi, a little surprised that his son had brought that up seemingly out of the blue. Rubbing his chin, Takumi connected the dots together and surmised that the _Chryse_ kids had offered him a training opportunity. "Did the _Chryse_ boys offer you the opportunity?"

"Yeah…" muttered Yosetsu, sounding just a little scared. "How'd you…"

"Yosetsu, love'," said Takumi with a rather proud smirk as he pumped up his chest and rested a hand right on top of his heart. " **I** am your dad. Just assume that I know **everything** about you."

That explanation made Yosetsu chuckle slightly, which gave Takumi a small sense of pride at being able to make him chuckle on his own.

"Anyways, I'm just gonna guess that you wanna ask for me and Yuuko's permissions, yes?" said Takumi, and he wasn't exactly surprised when Yosetsu nodded timidly. "Ah shucks, you're a sweet boy, Yosetsu. But honestly, I think you're old enough to make your own decisions…"

"W-What do you mean?" asked Yosetsu, his face a little red after his father called him a sweet boy.

"What I'm saying is that you don't need to ask me any your mum about everything," replied Takumi as he stretched one of his arms, wincing as he heard a rather loud _pop_ emanate from one of his joints. Yosetsu flinched as well, though thankfully Takumi wasn't hurt. "But, since you're asking me at the moment… I say go for it."

"S-So… I…" began Yosetsu, before his father finished for him.

"Yep, I give you permission to engage in training with the _Chryse_ boys… on three conditions," said Takumi, his tone and expression turning serious, making Yosetsu gulp a little. "The first is this, don't overwork yourself. Second, be home before me and Yuuko, though that doesn't mean you can come home at ten. And third, try not to get any bruises or scars… please."

Yosetsu noticed that Takumi seemed to sound the most serious at the third point, and he could see why as Takumi was a natural 'worried father' type of man. He didn't want Yosetsu to get hurt… even if he knew that it was inevitable as getting a bruise or two was part of the process of training.

"H-Hey… don't worry about it dad…" said Yosetsu, making his father look at him a little worriedly. That expression made Yosetsu's heart tighten a little, but it also instilled a small amount of confidence inside of him. " _Chryse_ has someone who has a Healing Quirk… they can patch me up in an instant if they wanted…"

"Oh? Well, that's good to hear!" said Takumi as he cupped his hands together happily. Though he then turned his attention towards the clock in Yosetsu's room, a clock shaped like _All Might's_ head, and widened his eyes when he saw the time. "Jeez… maybe you should be going to bed… huh?"

Yosetsu seemed to just realize what time it was and nodded in agreement before he stood up, with some help from his dad. Quickly, the child brushed his teeth and tucked himself into bed after a quick "goodnight" to his parents. Before he went to bed, Takumi said he'd tell Yuuko about the 'training' he was offered, and Yosetsu didn't have any objections to that.

As he laid on his bed, Yosetsu began planning what he'd do tomorrow. He intended on heading to _Chryse_ and telling the kids there the news and perhaps tell Ride that he forgave him. And, secretly, in a smaller part of his mind, Yosetsu was relieved that he didn't mention that Ride incident to his parents…

* * *

 **The next day**

The knock on the door was the first indication to Shino that he and everyone involved in Yosetsu's 'training exercise' was even worse than toast.

Slowly, Norba inched towards the door of the orphanage and shakily extended his hand towards the doorknob, with Akihiro, Eugene, Yamagi, Ride and Takaki behind him, looking horrified, ashamed or a mixture of both. For a moment, Shino considered not opening the door, but Akihiro goaded him to do so.

To their surprise, however, there were less than three people standing behind their door. Instead, there was one person, none other than Yosetsu himself, who was in the middle of drinking a small bottle of water which he had apparently brought with him. Once he re-capped the bottle, Yosetsu tried saying "hi" only to nearly choke on his water.

"Y-Yosetsu…?" muttered Takaki as he looked under Shino's shoulder and spotted the Welder. "Why're you here… alone? Where're your parents?"

"T-They're at home," replied Yosetsu as Shino let him in and shut the door. When he was in, Yosetsu gave a glance to Ride, who looked away in response.

"Right, so… why are you here alone?" asked Eugene, looking the most awake Yosetsu has seen him in… ever.

"W-Well… it's regarding the training," said Yosetsu, and his reasoning made everyone widen their eyes in shock, especially Ride, who expected Yosetsu to be here to cart him away to the police department in Niigata. "My parents… agreed to it."

"Wait… what about Ride…?" muttered Yamagi, looking at Yosetsu a little suspiciously. In response, the Welder tapped the tips of his index fingers together rather sheepishly as Ride tensed up a little.

"I… never told them," replied Yosetsu, turning to look at the boy in question, who had widened his eyes rather intensely and seemed to be ready to faint. As for everyone else in the room, they seemed to be surprised that Yosetsu didn't report Mass to his parents, but they then remembered that Yosetsu was a real softy, which really explained a lot. "I mean… Ride didn't mean to actually hit me… so… erm… I forgive him…"

' _Definitely a softy…'_ thought Shino as he smirked and crossed his arms while Ride seemed to have a heart attack. _'Not exactly a bad thing, though.'_

"Oi!" came a new, familiar and somewhat sleepy sounding voice from behind them, making everyone turn around and spot none other than Orga making his way down the stairs, his hair telling everyone that he just woke up. Looking around, the teen almost immediately spotted Yosetsu. "Huh… where's your parents?"

Opening his mouth, Yosetsu was about to tell Orga that he wasn't here because of the 'Ride punching him incident', but Shino cut him off and helped him explain why he was here, prompting Orga to chuckle.

"Well, that's unexpected…" said Orga, rubbing his chin with a smirk. "I'm sure Mika will like that."

"A-Ah…" muttered Yosetsu before the other _Chryse_ kids went back to do whatever they were doing before the Welder had knocked on the door, though Takaki and Yamagi had stopped watching their cartoon and went over to help Ride onto the couch as the boy had apparently fainted from relief after hearing that Yosetsu had forgiven him so easily. After a short while, only Orga and Yosetsu were left standing in the living room while Takaki attempted CPR on Ride.

"I guess I'll get you a timetable for your training," said Orga as he scratched his arms. "It'll be better if we have a schedule for all this… at least for most of us."

"Y-Yeah…" agreed Yosetsu, and that led to a few seconds of uncomfortable silence as Orga kept stretching. After some time, Yosetsu decided to ask a question. "Hey, O-Orga…?"

"Aye?" was his response as Itsuka stopped stretching and turned to look at Awase.

"I was wondering… why don't _you_ try and become a Hero…?" questioned Yosetsu. "I mean, you're only a year older than Mika so you can enroll into a school… and you have enough skill to become a proper Hero…"

In response, Orga gave a hearty laugh, clutching his stomach rather comically as he did. Once he finished, he looked Yosetsu right in the eye.

"While I am probably able to enroll into a school, and also probably have enough skill to become a Hero, there's still one thing I lack that stops me from doing that," said Orga, gripping his wrist and rubbing his inner wrist.

"A-And that is…?"

When he asked, Orga looked down at the floor, a little embarrassed, at least Yosetsu thought so, before he spoke up. "Yosetsu… you heard of this phrase… _"Not all men are created equal"_ , right?"

"Y-Yeah… I have," answered Yosetsu with a nod, prompting Orga to give a sad smile.

"Well, I have a feeling that you know how it feels to live that saying, eh?" asked Orga, and when Yosetsu nodded, he gave a soft chuckle. "I'm right there with you, kid. But if I'm honest, you're much more fortunate than I am."

"H-How so?" asked Yosetsu.

"Simple," was Orga's reply as he looked down at his feet. Curious, Yosetsu did the same, only to widen his eyes in understanding and shock when Orga wiggled both of his feet pinkies.

"Yeah… I'm guessing you can put the pieces together and come to your own conclusions."

* * *

 **IT'S DONE. IT'S FINALLY DONE.**

 **HOOWAH**

 ***POPS CONFETTI***

 **Alrighty then… now… erm… where was I? If you want a proper answer, I'd have to reply with "school". Yep, school. I hate it. School is the primary reason as to why this chapter was delayed for as long as it was. Of course, Gunpla was also part of the problem… but let's not get into that.**

 **Now onto some actually important stuff. If you haven't guessed, this chapter… it's kinda a mess. I've been writing this ever since I finished TnK RM C5, and there have been a lot… and I mean A LOT of rewrites and edits on this chapter. So I've been messing around with it up to the point where it's… well… very different from what I first envisioned it to be. Still, I think it's… alright? I can't exactly say for sure, so I'll let you be the judge.**

 **Anyways, onto review replies.**

* * *

 **gold crown dragon: well, to the first half of your review, the identity of** _ **Bael**_ **is Agnika. Though it's not that important of a detail since he isn't too important to the story at the moment. And for the second half, the 72 Gundam Frames being ridiculous Quirks… while that would be undoubtedly awesome and pretty hilarious, will probably not happen as not all 72 Gundam Frames have official designs and I can't exactly make a Quirk for something without a look at it's physical features, which was how I got the ideas for Mika and Akihro's Quirks.**

 **Guest: about that… I had originally intended on giving Orga a Quirk… but… honestly, I think it suits him better to not have one, primarily because he's the god damn leader and doesn't need no Quirk… and also cos I'm lazy :v**

 **Guest: why thank you, and if ye want an AU IBO fic, go check out** _ **The Devil's Reprisal**_ **by good ol'** _ **Diablo Snowblind**_ **. It ain't necessarily my favorite, but it's a great AU nonetheless.**

 **gwong981: ah shucks, you're welcome**

 **Anyways, I'm fockin tired. My tongue is in pain, I feel like I'm having a fever, my entire body is aching and my throat is on fire. I need a lie down…**

* * *

 **Catch y'all later**

 **Edited on: 18/5/2019**


	4. CTP (Chryse Training Program)

**Very minor 6 month time skip from the previous chapter**

If somebody were to ask Yosetsu how he'd handle physical training under the guidance of the _Chryse Orphanage_ before he were to get all friendly with them, Yosetsu would give a resounding: "I'll probably be dead within the month…"

Of course, he never had to answer any question like that as he never had anyone to talk to in a friendly manner before Mikazuki squeezed his way into Yosetsu's life. Though in all fairness, the boy wasn't _completely_ wrong as physical training under the care of the orphans was comparable to military training.

Before it all began, Yosetsu was given a timetable for the training dates he'd be given. It, at least to Yosetsu himself, seemed rather fair for what it was. Nothing too stressful… or at least he hoped it wasn't. He had shown it to his parents for their confirmation. They weren't too eager, but they agreed to the idea on the condition that Yosetsu come back in one piece and that he returned home before they did. The latter was easy to follow, though the Welder didn't know if he could give any promises on the former.

"It looks… simple," admitted Yosetsu when he first saw the timetable Orga had presented to him. Orga's response to that was a soft chuckle.

"Looks can be deceiving, Yosetsu," he warned with a smirk as he tapped his Welder friend on the forehead, and Yosetsu simply shivered in response. However, he wasn't exactly wrong about it being simple looking.

The timetable Orga had presented took up mostly weekdays. Mondays and Tuesdays were taken by Mikazuki, Akihiro, Eugene and Orga. These days would be for developing his upper muscle strength and would, according to Itsuka, be enough to cramp his muscles intensely.

Wednesdays were taken mainly by Shino and Ride and, in truth, was Yosetsu's least favorite training day as the two of them would mainly help with developing his leg muscles. Yosetsu could run, yes… but not for the distance Shino would make him go for.

Thursdays and Fridays were occupied by Takaki and Yamagi and were mainly used for Quirk training and self-esteem/confidence development. Personally, Yosetsu enjoyed these days the most.

In all sessions, Atra was meant to be with them at all times just in case Yosetsu was injured. Merribit herself would also preferably be there herself, though she would usually be unable to do so on Wednesdays.

There was a small note at the bottom of the timetable which stated that attending the training programs was not compulsory, though Yosetsu had no intention on skipping any of them unless he absolutely had to. He did voice that out to Orga and Shino. The two of them had differing thoughts on that. Orga found it admirable that Yosetsu was so determined, and while Norba felt similarly, he added that Yosetsu was a little too eager to achieve his dream. When they shared what Yosetsu said to them to everyone else, they didn't exactly have many thoughts on the matter, though Atra did express her worries for Yosetsu.

"He's brave… but he's also pretty impulsive… and it may get him hurt," she had said uncertainty.

"Yeah, but I like it…" admitted Shino, smirking wildly as he clenched his fist tightly. "He's got a heart that burns brighter than the sun in the middle of July! Such determination… it's overwhelming!"

"Cheesy as always, Shino," grumbled Eugene, pinching the bridge of his nose as he yawned. To his side, Takaki nodded in agreement while Yamagi gave him a mildly annoyed look. As for Ride, however, he flashed a smirk that was potentially as large as Shino's.

"He's not wrong, y'know!" exclaimed Ride, holding a fist up into the air and nearly punching Akihiro's jaw as he did. The muscular boy grimaced as he took a step back, though Ride didn't seem to notice as he struck a dramatic pose. "Yosetsu's heart burns with immense determination! Such passion… I can only bow down in respect for it!"

"That made very little sense, Ride…" muttered Akihiro as he ruffled up his small pal's hair, causing him to chuckle ever so slightly. "But I get where you two are coming from. The Kid's determination is impressive, and him swearing to come on a daily basis is even more so."

"Just make sure you don't smack him again, Ride," added Orga, elbowing his ginger haired friend as he gave him a rather accusing stare. Mass pursed his lips as a handful of the other orphans chuckled. Once the chuckles died down, however, Orga spared Merribit and Atra a look before continuing. "But still, his determination is a bit… worrying. To put himself so willingly in danger just to achieve his dream is a little… ill advised."

And what followed were a few minutes of silence. No one could exactly deny that, and even Shino and Ride, who were cheesily enthusiastic in regards to Yosetsu's determination, had no argument to give Orga. However, right before Takaki could mention the sudden awkward silence, Mikazuki, of all people, spoke up.

"I have faith in him," was what he had said, making everyone turn to see him, sitting on the couch with his arms crossed. His Tail hovered behind him rather ominously, and the boy himself seemed as neutral as ever as he spoke. "Yosetsu's not dumb enough to agree to something if he thinks it's too much for him to handle. He'll be fine."

And everyone seemed surprised that he would say that. It was not common for him to say that many positive things about a singular person, especially one who was not from _Chryse_ , enough to make even Merribit nod ever so slightly.

"I suppose… but him being injured is enough to worry me…" admitted the Orphanage owner, cupping her hands over her lap as she closed her eyes.

"Actually, you're just being pessimistic now!" protested Takaki, making the present company turn to him. Takaki himself smiled as he spoke. "As Mika said, Yosetsu isn't a dumbass! He can handle this, I'm sure of it! Besides, if he's injured, Atra can heal him back up!"

Everyone whom was currently present nodded and gave acknowledging grunts which showed their agreement with Takaki. Merribit knew that there was no way to change their minds now, so she sighed and nodded.

"Very well then," she said with a nod. "Just make sure he goes back to his family in one piece, alright?"

"Understood!" was her response in varying volumes from everyone else in the room, all perfectly in sync, prompting the blonde to wince thanks to her Quirk.

* * *

 **Mondays and Tuesdays**

Yosetsu's training days on Mondays and Tuesdays were usually separated into 2 separate sessions, muscle development, with the occasional sparring session, and… erm… 'body analysis'.

Muscle development sessions were usually lead by Mikazuki and Akihiro, with Orga taking the place of either one or both of them whenever they were unavailable, though it only happened once when Akihiro had experienced some form of muscle cramp. The name of the session was self explanatory, and it was _very_ taxing to say the least.

On Yosetsu's first session with Akihiro and Mika, the two orphans did try… _**try**_ to be gentle with him. It only made Yosetsu wonder if they even knew what the word even meant as on their first session, Akihiro made Yosetsu perform about 20 sit ups, 20 push ups and 20 pull ups all without pause. According to his trainers, or at least Akihiro, it was to help prepare Yosetsu for the next few days of upper body training.

At least, that was what Akihiro thought. As it turned out, practically _nothing_ would prepare Yosetsu for the _Chryse Orphanage's_ level of physical training. All it really do was make Yosetsu's muscles cramp up for the better part of the week. Though to his credit, Yosetsu didn't let his muscle cramps deter him from showing up for training. If anything, it motivated the boy to do better as, according to Orga, muscle cramps would become less frequent if he were used to exercise. Merribit did once smack Orga, Akihiro and Mika over the heads for encouraging Yosetsu to come back for training despite his cramped muscles, but she already knew that Awase was never going to not attend. His spirit was a little too strong for his own good.

After their first session, it only got much worse for the boy. Akihiro was in charge of giving Yosetsu his daily lifting schedule, with Mika being there to offer assistance whenever needed. For the first few months, it remained as 50 push ups, sit ups and pull ups all across the board. But after a rather misplaced comment from Yosetsu stating that he did feel a tad tougher during the last few days of month 5, Akihiro upped the ante and made Yosetsu do double the amount.

* * *

"100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 100 pull ups… every Monday to Wednesday…" muttered Eugene, giving Akihiro a somewhat irritated look as Mikazuki and Atra knelt beside Yosetsu, whose body was slick with sweat. He was on his 82nd push up, and both Mika and Atra were holding self made flags with the words _Go Yosetsu!_ scribbled on them, waving them around as they cheered him on. "You're joking, right Aki?"

"Nope," replied the Akihiro with a small smile as Yosetsu, with an intense grimace, performed his 83rd push up. "If he feels tougher, we may as well push him harder, eh? I mean, he has no objections to it so far."

"Yeah… I guess if he doesn't have a problem with it then there's no need to change it just yet… but I can't shake the feeling that we're copying a training routine from some anime which Ride, Takaki and Yamagi watch…" muttered Eugene, rubbing his chin as he tried to put his finger on what that particular show was called. He didn't manage it, but he did know that the protagonist was bald for whatever reason.

"Perhaps," was Akihiro's response to the boy beside him as he shrugged. And as those words left his mouth, the two heard the sound of a human body collapsing behind them, prompting them to turn around and see Yosetsu lying on the ground, breathing heavily as Mika turned to Akihiro, giving a thumbs up to tell Akihiro that Awase had gotten to 100 while Atra helped Yosetsu onto the couch. Akihiro gave a nod to acknowledge Mikazuki's gesture, and when he turned to check on Awase, he could see that his attire, a light grey t-shirt and light brown pair of bamudas, were soaked, so much so that it seemed as though the boy had gone for a swim.

Right as Atra got Yosetsu onto the couch, and after Mika gave him a bottle of water, Awase decided to ask: "So… how'd I do…?"

"You did pretty good, Yosetsu! You successfully performed all 100 push ups! In record time, too!" congratulated Atra, giving a double thumbs up. It took a while, but Yosetsu raised an arm weakly to return the gesture.

"I just hope we don't end up killing him on accident with overexhaustion, you know?" muttered Eugene.

"Don't be like that, Eugene," scolded Akihiro with an small smile. "Yosetsu's a tough kid. I'm sure he'll be able to handle it."

"Whatever you say, Aki," was his response along with an eye roll from Eugene, whom still remained uncertain.

While sessions conducted by Akihiro and Mikazuki were exhausting for Yosetsu's body, sessions conducted by Orga and Eugene were more exhausting for his mind.

* * *

'Body analysis' was a name which weirded Yosetsu out at first, much to the confusion of the two who were conducting it. When the Welder asked what the session would be on, Eugene (somewhat) helpfully explained that they would be telling him which parts of the human body he should strike first if he wanted to achieve a quick victory, something which relieved Yosetsu as 'body analysis' was a rather… _suggestive_ name to say the least.

Through the course of the 6 months of… body analysis with Orga and Eugene, the two would constantly barrage Yosetsu with information in regards to specific parts of a human's body he should strike and how much force he should apply with each blow if he wanted to incapacitate or outright kill a man/woman. Of course, everyone had differing levels of endurance so what Yosetsu was being taught wasn't entirely accurate… that, and it would be hard for Yosetsu to kill a person with his bare hands, especially with his current physicality and reluctance to really injure anyone, but Orga decided to teach him anyways, _just in case_.

Most of the time, Orga would test Yosetsu on how much he understood their sessions by making him strike Eugene in the areas he had specified earlier. Orga placed clear emphasis on striking joints such as the knees or elbows if he wanted to weaken an opponent and going for areas like the neck if he wanted to end confrontations quickly.

For the most part, Eugene's Quirk made him be able to resist Yosetsu's punches and kicks aimed at various weak points. The fact that Yosetsu wasn't exactly that strong, at least during the first few months of training, made it a little easier to do so… at least until a rather… interesting session when Awase accidentally kicked a very specific area of a human male's body and made Eugene scream so loud that the entire Niigata Prefecture may have been able to hear him before sending him sprawling on the ground.

* * *

"I-I-I… didn't m-mean to d-do t-t-that!" was the first thing Yosetsu managed to utter out as Eugene laid on the ground, writhing in pain, both hands covering his crotch. Atra was already by his side by then, ready to use her Quirk to heal her friend, but everyone who was currently in the orphanage, even Eugene himself, gave a resounding: "no!"

"W-Well… I can't exactly blame you for going for that specific part of the body," admitted Orga, still looking somewhat baffled as he stepped away from Eugene, whom was being ushered to the couch by Mika. "We were gonna teach you to do that someday too…"

"R-Really…?" muttered Yosetsu, slacking his shoulders a little, only to tense up once more when he heard Eugene silently curse to the heavens.

"Yeah…" confirmed Orga with a nod as he gave a mild chuckle. "We weren't gonna cover that part for some time… but when we get there, Eugene would've focused all his power into protecting that area. If he does, he'll hardly feel a thing… but if he doesn't… well… you already know what'll happen."

Yosetsu simply gave an uncertain nod as Eugene took in several deep breaths, with Mika patting his back as he did. Atra, once again, insisted that she healed her friend, something which both Eugene and Mika, once again, denied permission to do so.

"Y-Yosetsu…" muttered Eugene after a few seconds of recuperation, an index finger up in the air as he spoke. He sounded as though he was going through the most agonizing pain ever, and Yosetsu simply looked at him in fear as the by spoke. "I… don't think I'll be able to help you in body analysis training tomorrow…"

"U-Understood…" was his simple response. And that was the only time when Yosetsu willingly let a session end early.

* * *

 **Wednesdays**

Wednesdays were probably the bane of Yosetsu's training weeks.

If he were 100% honest, the Welder considered this day of training to be much more tiresome than Mondays and Tuesdays simply because he had to run.

Now, while Yosetsu wasn't exactly considered slow by any means, as evident by how his top speed was actually pretty damn high and how he was considered to be among the fastest sprinters in his class. However, the boy's stamina was what worried Ride and Shino. Sure, he was fast, but that didn't matter at all if he couldn't maintain that speed for a consistent timing, something that the two worked vigorously on changing.

As such, Ride and Shino made/forced Yosetsu to run close to 10km every Wednesday. Yosetsu would be lying if he said that he never fainted at least five times at the end or in the middle of each run, though the latter only occurred once or twice during his first few days of practice. He vaguely remembered being splashed awake with ice cold water and given the choice of ending the session early or continuing those two times. And both of those times, Awase chose the latter option, something that both impressed and worried his conductors.

To Yosetsu's surprise, the Wednesday runs did not start at the _Chryse Orphanage_. Instead, they would begin at the doorstep of a small shop-house combo which was at least half a kilometer away from the Orphanage, a shop-house owned by a lady called _Haba_ , an apparent acquaintance of Merribit. She had brown skin and a rather lovely face, but Yosetsu never really saw her much as he was too busy running. However, ever since the seventh week of leg training, Haba seemed to have decided to pitch in a little by creating a flag to signal the start of the boy's run.

It had also taken Awase a few more weeks, perhaps three months, to learn that Atra worked part-time at Haba's store. She didn't mind doing so, and as a bonus, the _Chryse Orphanage_ got some free snacks from time to time, in return for some of their assistance around the place anyhow.

The route of Yosetsu's run was mapped out by a complete psychopath… or at least that was what he had assumed at first. He was incorrect in his assumption, as Ride had mapped out the route, and Awase had to resist the urge to faint when he first saw it. The running route consisted of several (hundred) twists and turns, a multitude of U turns, and a whole lot of sprinting, jogging and walking. The 10km run was no cakewalk and it most likely never will be, and Yosetsu eventually came to terms with that.

In all fairness, Ride, Shino and Atra (who was more or less obligated to be there) would almost always be by his side during their running sessions. Ride and Atra would usually offer verbal support to Yosetsu while Shino would hold a stopwatch which Takaki had put together to see how long it took for his charge to finish the 10km run. His average timing was roughly an hour or much more, though he was steadily improving ever so slightly with every passing week.

Rather amusingly, at least for Yosetsu, Atra's legs were too short to be able to allow her to keep up with the three of them, so Shino had to give her a piggyback ride for the entirety of the 10km run. It was frankly adorable seeing her cheer him on from the back of Norba, even if the cuteness did overwhelm him at once point and made him run straight into a tree once.

At the end of each run, if he had not fainted, Yosetsu would always note that Shino didn't seem winded in the slightest. Sure, he was sweating, but he wasn't panting at all. In fact, he looked like he just came up out of a swimming pool, not stopping after a long run. Even Ride appeared at least a little winded when they stopped the run. And, when Yosetsu had finally asked, Shino simply chuckled.

"They don't call me the _Ryusei Go_ for nothing, kiddo!"

* * *

 **Norba Shino**

 **Quirk: Speeding Meteor (Yosetsu given name),** _ **Ryusei Go**_ **(** _ **Chryse**_ **name)**

 **As the name which Yosetsu gave Shino's Quirk would imply, Norba's Quirk enhances his stamina by tenfold. The boy can maintain an endless sprint if required, though his base speed is not enhanced. His Quirk does not have any noticeable drawbacks, though making quick turns or stopping abruptly before traffic when he is at his top speed is another issue all on it's own.**

* * *

"Is that c-considered… cheating…?" muttered Yosetsu when he heard of Shino's Quirk for the first time. His response was a gentle, almost affectionate boop on the nose from Shino, a gesture that made Awase turn red in mild insult as his instructor smirk deepened.

"Maybe to _you_ , my apprentice," was his response. "Never forget, no fight is ever fair."

Yosetsu simply gave a nod in response.

During his runs, Yosetsu often found himself getting a lot of unwanted attention from random civilians around the area, though to be fair it was most likely thanks to the fact that Yosetsu was giving Atra a piggyback ride as he ran alongside him. For the most part, the boy did manage to ignore a majority of the stares given to him and his friends, but it wasn't easy when the person who noticed him was a class or schoolmate from the _Bandai High_. Most of the time when someone he knew spotted him, they'd widen their eyes and stare at him in shock as he dashed past them. The boy tended to speed up whenever he made eye contact with someone whom he knew by face, regardless of his fatigue.

The boy also noted that more people in school seemed to have a newfound interest in Yosetsu. Either that or they were coincidentally staring at him while whispering among each other. The Welder was usually unable to hear everything they said about him, but he could often catch snippets of conversations. Most of them were about his run around the town while others were bewildered comments on how Yosetsu was able to befriend the _Chryse_ kids so easily. One specific bit of gossip which seemed to be making the rounds was made by Kio himself, who stated that Yosetsu was being trained to be a future villain by the _Chryse_ kids. Yosetsu did feel somewhat hurt at that remark, not just for himself, but also for those who were helping to train him.

Though to his surprise, when he told Shino, Ride, Atra and Eugene about it, they simply laughed it off as though they were sharing a joke, or at least Shino and Eugene did. Atra felt hurt that her friends were seen in such a negative light while Ride seemed to be _hoping_ that he was given the greenlight to hunt down Kio and smash his skull in, as evident by the fact that he was cracking his knuckles rather dramatically.

"Ah, that's hilarious right there," said Shino, wiping an imaginary tear away from his eye before he put on his best Kio voice. " _'We're helping the least popular and weakest boy in Bandai High become a villain!'_ "

"Yeah, as if," added Eugene, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance as he shook his head. "Look, Yosetsu… no offence, but you're not really the villain type. You're more of a Rescue Hero kinda guy, with your Quirk and all." Eugene lifted Yosetsu's still rather frail arm up into the air and wiggled it around to prove his point. "That and you're still a little… frail. Of course, we'll change that soon enough."

"I…" began Yosetsu, a smile gracing his youthful face, prompting the four to chuckle at that genuinely adorable expression of his. "T-Thank you, Eugene-San! Shino-San!"

"You're most welcome, kiddo," replied the two in unison, smirking at their 'apprentice' as Atra and Ride chuckled happily behind Awase.

"Don't let what they say get to you, Yosetsu!" encouraged Atra, smiling as she pumped her fists enthusiastically, showing how much she believed in her friend.

"I second that," said Ride with a huge smirk as he gave a thumbs up.

And that just the right amount of motivation Yosetsu needed to get through his 10km run on that Wednesday without stopping, and by the time he was done, he was winded, that much was obvious, but he hadn't fainted.

So Shino did the most sensible thing and increased the length of the run to 15km. Of course, Yosetsu never complained, even if it was even more torturous.

* * *

 **Thursdays and Fridays**

The final two weekdays were usually Yosetsu's favorite by default.

The two days were always taken by Yamagi and Takaki, and while the sessions on the other three days all focused on physical development and to exhaust the kid beyond his limits, the sessions with Uno and Gilmerton were focused on Yosetsu's Quirk development and to build up his confidence.

In regards to his Quirk, Yamagi and Takaki were very analytical when they were faced with helping Yosetsu develop his unique ability as it was not easy for either of them to find a way for the Welder to implement it in an offensive way. Despite that, the duo were not phased in the slightest as they were _seriously_ determined to help him develop his Quirk. Hell, Takaki even kept a notebook which held all the things he thought _Weld_ could do.

While Yosetsu believed his to be a weak and very situational Quirk, better for passive uses rather than aggressive, Yamagi, Takaki and the notebook Uno had with him every session begged to differ. They knew that every Quirk had a unique gimmick of sorts, something that ensured that no two Quirks were alike. Yosetsu's _Weld_ had to have one, and they only found out about that through a rather daring stunt while Ride, Orga, Atra and Merribit watched from the couch.

* * *

"Alright, now, Yosetsu," began Takaki, opening up his notebook and flipping to the latest updated page. He examined it for a few, brief moments before he went on. "Me and Yamagi have been doing a lot of talking about your Quirk… and we managed to think up something that your Quirk is capable of doing…"

"With help from me!" piped up Ride from the couch, making Yamagi and Takaki look past Awase and glare at their friend, reminiscing the horrible time they went through with Ride speaking up several hundred times while they discussed Yosetsu's Quirk, not really 'helping' them much. As for Yosetsu, he simply looked over his shoulder rather awkwardly, staying silent while Ride chuckled awkwardly. "Ah… hehah… forget I said that!"

"Already done, Ride," replied Yamagi, immediately ignoring Ride once those words escaped his lips and turning back to Yosetsu. Mass looked down at his feet while Atra patted his back, and after he cleared his throat, somewhat dramatically, the Yamagi continued speaking. "Yosetsu, ever since our first session with you, me, Takaki… with the help of _almost_ everyone else from time to time, managed to think of a way for you to use your Quirk in an offensive way…"

' _Though frankly, most of what's in here is mostly nonsensical stuff Ride came up with…'_ added Yamagi mentally as he sighed. Deciding to not beat around the bush, he came immediately told Yosetsu what he and Takaki thought that Yosetsu's _Weld_ was capable of. "We think that you could probably weld items onto human flesh."

What followed was several seconds of silence. And once said amount of time was up, Yosetsu gave a sheepish expression and an awkward laugh as he scratched the back of his neck. "...I never thought of that…"

Yosetsu's reply was a gentle chuckle from Orga, Takaki and Ride while Yamagi stayed politely neutral. If they were honest, they did expect that reply from Yosetsu anyways. The boy never did have any reason to use his Quirk in the way they just described. At least, Yamagi assumed he didn't need to Weld anything onto his body before they had met.

"Well, I guess now you will," said Takaki with a smile as he stared at his notebook for a moment. After said moment was up, Takaki snapped it shut, making Yosetsu jump a little in the process, and went on. "Anyhow, your Quirk welds objects together at an Atomic Level, if you remember correctly."

Yosetsu gave a small, timid nod, prompting Takaki to go on.

"So, me and Yamagi wondered: 'what if you welded an object right onto your arm with your Quirk?'," suggested Takaki with a smile, and it took Yosetsu a couple of seconds to realize what Takaki was getting at. Uno himself seemed to notice, as he gave a chuckle and continued, a smirk on his face as he went on. "If you can weld something onto your body, you can potentially weaponize your Quirk in some unpredictably creative ways! Shrapnel can potentially become objects you can weld onto your arm to create makeshift blades! Pieces of metal can become shields! The only thing which prevents this… is our uncertainty on if this theory of ours will work…"

"But we're at least 60% sure it will work at the moment…" finished Yamagi, crossing his arms. "And we may as well see if our theory is correct, since you're here."

Rather nervously, Yosetsu watched as Takaki reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small, broken bolt. The blonde seemed to always have a nut, bolt or screw with him at all times. It was odd, but Yosetsu decided not to asked his friend about it. Better to always be prepared, he supposed.

In a blink of an eye, Takaki tossed the bolt towards Yosetsu. The boy caught it, just barely, before staring at it uncertainty. Looking back at Yamagi and Takaki, the latter was giving him an encouraging look while Yamagi remained neutral, though Yosetsu knew that the blonde was a little expecting. Turning back to face the others in the room, Yosetsu saw that Ride, Orga and Atra were giving him encouraging looks, with Atra even giving him two thumbs up. Only Merribit looked completely uncertain about all this, though she didn't voice it out to keep Yosetsu's head up.

Seeing his friends give him such encouraging looks, Yosetsu pursed his lips nervously and nodded, not willing to let them down as he stared at the bolt. "...where should I weld it onto…?"

"Preferably onto the side of your arm," replied Yamagi. Yosetsu simply nodded before he rested the bolt against the side of his arm. Closing his eyes and concentrating intensely, Awase grit his teeth as he activated his Quirk. For a long while, Yosetsu didn't feel anything different. He could still feel the cold metal bolt against the side of his arm, not welding with it.

After two minutes of trying, however, Yosetsu felt the coldness of the bolt fade away. And a few gasps, Yosetsu snap his eyes open and face Yamagi and Takaki, both of whom had smiles on their faces. The Welder could see the others, but Merribit seemed shocked while Atra, Orga and Ride were smiling proudly, with Atra even holding her cheeks with her hands as she gave a shocked expression.

And finally, Yosetsu stared down at the side of his arm, only for his eyes to widen intensely.

' _It's Welded onto my arm…'_ was the only thought which went through his mind when as he stared at his arm. Some skin was stretched around the bolt, welding firmly it onto his arm. Experimentally, Awase tugged on the Welded bolt, only to realize that it wasn't about to come off anytime soon, almost as though the bolt was now a permanent part of himself.

"I… did it," muttered Yosetsu with a small, proud smile as Takaki himself moved close to him and tugged on the bolt, seeing if it was firmly welded onto his arm. Once he confirmed it, he turned back to Yamagi and gave a thumbs up..

"You did," confirmed Yamagi with a nod. "Though judging from how long it look for you to weld it onto your arm, it'll probably take a lot of energy for you to weld larger materials onto human flesh. We'll have to work on that."

Yosetsu gave an acknowledging nod before Takaki dropped a rather large (proverbial) bomb on him.

"Well, now aside from helping him weld items onto his body faster, I'd say we'd need to help him learn how to unweld items he's welded together…" he said, and Yosetsu's somewhat proud expression turned into a slightly horrified one. "We suspect that you can unweld items you've welded together, like unwelding that crack on our wall you've welded together back then."

"...and unwelding this bolt from my arm…?" asked Yosetsu, sounding a little nervous. Yamagi nodded in response.

"Yeah," said Yamagi with a nod. And Yosetsu's face paled a tad when he saw Gilmerton's usually neutrally confident expression turn at least a little uncertain. "Don't worry. We'll find a way to unweld that item from your arm within the day."

And it took Yosetsu the better part of three hours to unweld the bolt from his arm. And even then, it was only by accident. That told Yamagi and Takaki that Yosetsu would need a lot more time to learn to unweld items he welded together. The two were ready to help him learn how to do it naturally.

Even if it did take them the better part of two to three months to even get Yosetsu familiar with the concept of unwelding things he's welded together.

* * *

The other half of his Thursday/Friday training sessions were conducted primarily by Takaki. However, this half session was more or less conducted by… _everyone_. That, and the place where the half session was conducted in was not fixed. The half session would most often be held in the _Chryse Orphanage_ , though from time to time, it would be held in other areas such as the Yoshihara Park, if whoever was trying to build up his confidence wished to stare up at the trees, or Yosetsu's house… if Atra wished to be his conductor and kick his ass at _Monopoly_ at the same time.

The entire Orphanage was dedicated to helping Yosetsu build up his confidence at all costs. As such, each of them contributed in some way to build up his confidence. Of course, some ways were much more effective than others, such as Takaki, Yamagi, Orga, Atra, Merribit and Akihiro tactics for building his confidence up. They preferred to talk to him and passively build up his confidence, something that did work, however slowly.

As for Shino and Ride, however… their tactics were much more aggressive to say the least. They seemed to think that acting as a drill sergeant would be more effective… and it probably made Yosetsu _less_ confident than he usually was. As such, Merribit quite literally forbade those two from conducting sessions like these in the future.

Mika and Eugene, however, seemed reluctant to join in. Eugene did step in from time to time to fill in whenever needed, though he was often too worn out to do so. Mika, however, only stepped in once, though Yosetsu had that one particular event ingrained in his brain by now…

* * *

"I still think that the flowers here are pretty."

Blinking at the sudden voice of Mikazuki piping up beside him, Yosetsu turned over to the side as he stared at his comparatively shorter friend, who was still staring up at the trees that lined the sides of Yoshihara Park.

Thanks to the fact that everyone was suspiciously missing for today's half session, everyone but Mika anyways, the Tail-boy had taken it upon himself to conduct the lesson on behalf of every one of his strangely missing friends. Mikazuki himself did not pay it any mind, however, and quickly, and rather abruptly, suggested that they visit the Yoshihara Park. Awase didn't raise any objections.

The park wasn't exactly that great, but Yosetsu enjoyed walking through it either way. Like most parks he knew of, the place did have several trees filled with cherry blossoms and quite a few sights to behold. The Welder was unsure of why Mika had suggest the place, though he didn't complain. The Tail-boy seemed to be enjoying his stroll through the place, after all.

Still… it wouldn't hurt to ask…

"It sure is…" agreed Yosetsu, awkwardly scratching his cheek as Mika nodded. And they walked in silence for roughly five more minutes before Awase cleared his throat, prompting Augus to turn to face him as he fumbled for a conversation starter. "So… Mika… why… did you w-want to come here?"

"Sitting around in _Chryse_ and talking doesn't appeal to me," replied Mika almost instantly as he held out his hand and gently snatched a cherry blossom petal out of the air. He examined it with his usual neutral gaze before letting it go, allowing it to drop to the ground as he crossed his arms, before turning to Awase. "Yoshihara is a beautiful park. It helps calm the mind."

"I…" muttered Yosetsu, pausing as he let what Mika said sink in. Looking around Yoshihara Park, the boy did admittedly find the place to have an oddly calming feel to it. The cherry blossoms slowly falling to the ground almost as though they moved in slow motion, the distant sounds of the younger gents running about in the nearby playgrounds and the general lack of any real threatening things in the area seemed to put Yosetsu's normally rampant paranoia at rest. So, deciding to not argue, Awase gave a smile and nodded. "... I guess you're right."

And they walked in silence for a few more minutes, with Mika's Tail swishing from side to side on occasion as they walked.

"Hey… Mikazuki…?" said Yosetsu after some silence, prompting the boy in question to turn to face his pal. "Why exactly did you approach me…?"

"Eh?" was his immediate response as Mikazuki stopped dead in his tracks, not understanding a question. Yosetsu paused a little ahead of his friend, looking mildly confused as he had never seen Mika freeze up in such a way before. Augus himself uncrossed his arms and stuffed them into his pockets as he eyed Yosetsu, staring him up and down before he gave a small smile and continued walking, with Awase following beside him. "I have my reasons…"

"W-Well, is it alright if you told me those reasons?" inquired Awase, tapping his fingers together in a somewhat nervous fashion. Mikazuki gave him an odd glance, perhaps to test his sincerity, as both he and Yosetsu made their way over a small wooden bridge of sorts that overlooked a small pond. As soon as he stepped onto it, Mika opened his mouth to reply, only for Awase to give a slight groan. "It's damaged…"

Blinking, Augus turned back and saw that Yosetsu was kneeling by the edge of the bridge, examining a shockingly large crack that had formed at its base. Raising an eyebrow at how he was unable to notice it before Yosetsu, Mikazuki simply watched with his neutral gaze as Yosetsu, without even a second thought, Welded the sizable crack up with his Quirk. Once he was done, the boy stood up and slapped his hands against each other before turning to his friend.

"Better safe than sorry," said Yosetsu with a nervous smile, scratching his cheek as Augus nodded. And within a few seconds they were on their way, with Yosetsu still expecting his answer. Mika himself noted it and decided to reply truthfully.

" _That's_ why I approached you, Yosetsu," answered Mika without missing a beat as the duo stopped to take a seat on a bench not too far from the small bridge Yosetsu had just repaired. Awase gave him a confused look, prompting Mika to give a small, almost inaudible chuckle, as he rephrased himself. "You're interesting, that's why."

"B-But… how so?" asked Yosetsu, genuinely surprised at Mika's words. His Tail-having friend, on the other hand, calmly explained.

"Any other person would've given up on their dream after having it put down so many times," explained Mika. "Any other person would have viewed me as a Villain and stayed well away from me, and any other person would've viewed everyone in _Chryse_ as a future Villains who don't deserve respect. But you… you didn't.

"You hold onto your dream of becoming a Hero despite what I assume to be years of it being put down. You saw me as a normal kid and not a Villain. And you actually visited _Chryse_ and treated everyone there with respect… like they're normal… and that… that makes you _interesting_."

By the time Augus had finished, Yosetsu felt his jaw cramp up from being opened for an extended period of time. Once Mika shut it for him, the Tail-boy gave what Awase thought to be his very first genuine smile directed towards him and gave the Welder a gentle squeeze on the shoulder… one that nearly dislocated his shoulder.

"I'm happy… that I can call you my _friend_ …"

And by then, Yosetsu felt something wet trail down his nose as he promptly lost consciousness, something that did make Mika widen his eyes ever so slightly and shoot a hand out to seize his friend's wrist before he fell off his chair.

"Yosetsu… you alright?" muttered Mika, shaking Awase. He was unresponsive, so Mika decided to call off the lesson as he slung his pal over his shoulder and marched towards his home.

* * *

 **Saturdays, Sundays and various other days without school**

On days without school, Yosetsu would often do one of two things; he'd either push himself harder in training or he'd take the day off. The boy would almost always do the former, using the extra time he had to work on developing his muscles and Quirk, with the only day where he'd willingly take the day off was on Sundays, where he'd spend his time with his family.

On various occasions, however, Yosetsu would take his Saturdays off to take a break. It wasn't common, but he would do it on occasion. Whenever he did, Yosetsu did take trips to the _Chryse orphanage_ to visit his friends. Shino was curious as to why, as most kids at his age would be messing around in their rooms, either watching anime, playing games which were too violent for them or just wanking off (Eugene had slapped a hand over Shino's mouth to prevent him from saying that last one).

Yosetsu's reply was a simple: "Well… I guess I'm just different!" followed by an awkward chuckle. That did prompt some laughter to erupt from the room he was in at that time.

During his many visits to the orphanage, Yosetsu shared many things with his friends, such as his love for mobile games. Apparently, none of the _Chryse_ kids owned a mobile phone as it would be too expensive for them to buy. Merribit did apparently offer to buy them a handful of phones, but they were all against it. The only one whom had a phone was Merribit.

Another thing the boy shared with the kids were a handful of incidents in his childhood, most of which being his time being bullied. The orphans really didn't like to hear of that, so Yosetsu decided to tell them of his much more positive memories, such as his trip to the _Gundam Base_ in Odaiba during his ninth birthday and when he began to like the Rescue Hero, _Crimson Typhoon_ , as much as he did among other things.

Most of the time, however, Yosetsu would simply play a good game of _Snakes and Ladders_ or more recently, _Monopoly_ , with the orphans. The boy was the uncontested king of the first game, but with _Monopoly_ , Atra, Yamagi or Takaki would often emerge victorious. If he wasn't messing with board games, he'd most likely be watching tv with the others and laughing a with them, almost as though they were longtime friends of his.

For the most part, Yosetsu was happiest whenever he was around the orphans. His parents felt the same, perhaps even more so as the two had never seen their son this happy around company before. They just wished that they could be around to see him smile more and not always be occupied by their job.

In short, Yosetsu Awase, for the first time in a very long time, felt happy on a consistent basis.

* * *

 **Well, this chapter was much shorter than the others usually are.**

 **Seriously. The last chapter was nearly 20k (roughly 17K, actually) words long, and this is ¼ that length. Ah well. Can't have em all be 10k+ I suppose.**

 **Now, onto a more important note, you must be wondering why this took so long, right? About 6 months of wait for a 4k word chapter. Well the answer is simple.**

 **I was stuck in a creative loop for this chapter. I had tons of ideas, but could never write the out in a good way. So I fell into a loop of writing, checking to see if it was good, deciding it wasn't, deleting and writing again. In the end, I ended up with this. The original drafts were meant to be twice as long, but I could never write them properly.**

 **That and the original drafts revealed a rather big secret which I'd prefer to keep under wraps… for now.**

 **Anyways, onto the replied before I go celebrate my mum's birthday.**

* * *

 **gold crown dragon: I'll have a look. And you've got a good eye :)**

 **Guest: I'm sure some IBO fics will be up soon. I know I may have a few planned ;3**

 **Megatron Kim: firstly, thanks. And secondly, thanks for the compliment. And expect the unexpected, I suppose :3**

 **Nevada el Diablo: firstly, your name is awesome to me for some reason. Secondly, thanks and I hope ye enjoy this one too!**

 **Venandi: I don't have any way to reply to you without being rude.**

* * *

 **Anyways *puts on party hat* see you guys next time!**

 **Edited on: 21/5/2019**


	5. The Starting Line

There was a time when Yosetsu Awase was known as the pushover of _Bandai High_. the punching bag to practically everyone, and sometimes every _thing_.

No one had expected the young Welder to grow out of it, and definitely no one saw any potential in him. No one outside of his parents, anyways. Then the _Chryse_ orphans came along, and it all changed. And for once in the boy's life, it had changed for the better.

Over the course of about two years, the _Chryse_ orphans had trained his muscles to their absolute limits. The Welder had fainted on several hundred occasions, sometimes even hurting himself (thankfully all wounds were healed by Atra), but whenever he was asked if it was worth it, the boy would wholeheartedly say "Yes".

For the first half a year, not much had changed in Yosetsu's physical attribute department. He was still rather fragile, and perhaps a little prone to fainting as well. But over the course of the next one and a half years, the boy seemed to have grown out of his frail exterior by virtue of tenacity.

After the first year of training, Yosetsu had found that he was no longer fainting as much as he usually would. He also noted how he was more capable of running long distances without stopping during Shino's training days and how he was able to lift some of Akihiro's heavier weights. Sure, he still fell short in a few areas, but Orga saw it as Awase taking some baby steps before he began to take larger ones.

The second, and last, year of training was when Yosetsu really showed the most development when it came to muscle. The Welder had only really noticed that fact when he was staring at himself in the mirror after a Monday session with Akihiro and Mika. The boy could only really widen his eyes when he first saw his arms lined with an impressive set of muscles, enough to bulk him out ever so slightly, and after a quick check just to be sure, Yosetsu's eyes widened further when he saw that he had grown a full six pac. While not as impressive as say… Mika or Akihiro, it was enough to make the boy feel at least a little proud of himself.

The boy had not only grown to be almost as strong as Ride, or Takaki/Yamagi for that matter, something which was considered impressive by _Chryse_ standards as Ride _has_ kicked Kio's ass with great ease, but he did also manage to develop a newfound sense of self confidence in himself. Granted, it wasn't too much self confidence as a well placed insult could still bring doubt into his mind and the boy was still rather socially awkward, but as Ride had put it, _"It's progress!"_

And when he had said that, everyone in the orphanage had nodded in agreement.

Frankly, Yosetsu would never forget the reactions he got from his parents when they saw that he had grown as much muscle as he did. His mother could only beam pridefully and congratulate her son while his father said he was jealous. That comment had made Yosetsu feel a little bad as it brought back memories of Takumi Awase's former dream, but that feeling lasted for less than a second before Yuuko and Takumi engulfed him in a family hug.

School was also a lot less strenuous than before. Unlike two years prior, Kio had kept his distance from him. If anything, he seemed rather intimidated by the Welder at this point. Yosetsu was not sure why, but he did prefer Kio to stay away more so than him picking on him every waking moment. Takaki, on the other hand, deduced that they were getting wary of him thanks to how close the Welder was getting to him and his fellow orphans. Either that or the fact that Yosetsu was gaining more muscle mass each day was putting everyone on edge. He shared these two thoughts with Awase on one of his visit, though Yosetsu prefered the former option. It wasn't too surprising, as the boy, muscular or not, never did have a high opinion on himself.

' _Still… it'd be nice if he did,'_ Takaki had thought once while Yosetsu was engaged in an intense game of _Snakes and Ladders_ with Mika. _'The kid's Physical Education grades shot up from an E all the way up to an A within the year… and his other grades are still at a decent, passable level.'_

Despite him thinking that Awase needed to have a bit more pride, however, the blonde was still fine with the Yosetsu which was still with them. His modesty and self deprecation was charming, in a way. And by now, at least among the _Chryse_ crowd, it had become a defining factor about him.

Yosetsu Awase, _'the modest, self deprecating Welder who worked his way from the bottom to somewhere close to the middle through sheer, doglike tenacity'_ sounded like a good title for the Welder. It had a good ring to it, Takaki thought. Though he may need to shorten it as it didn't exactly roll off the tongue very easily.

* * *

 **Yosetsu's room, present time**

As he sat on his swivel chair in front of his study table, Yosetsu did his best to finish a piece of homework which was issued to him by his class.

It wasn't hard, not in the least. Unlike several others in his class, Yosetsu was the type who paid attention, after all. He was a good listener, according to Orga anyways. His current paper regarded math, a subject which most struggled with. Even Mika, whom considered him a genius by _Chryse_ standards, thought that Yosetsu was struggling with the subject every time he came over to help with his homework, though like most things, the Welder was slowly beginning to get better at it.

After about thirty minutes of brainstorming and punching numbers into a calculator he had to weld together on numerous occasions, Yosetsu had written down the final answer to the worksheet he currently had and moved to slide it into his bag. With his homework done, Yosetsu wondered what he should do now. The boy thought about visiting his friends, then he looked to his nearby drawer to spot several action figures standing there idly. _All Might_ , _Endeavour_ , _Mirio_ , _Crimson Typhoon_ , _Bael_ , ect. They were beginning to collect dust.

It wasn't exactly his fault for that. The boy hadn't really touched them for… a long time. There were reasons for him ignoring them, however. Among those reasons included schoolwork, a few The last time he touched them was about… two years ago. Just that thought alone made Yosetsu shiver, thinking about himself growing a little old. But he didn't dwell on those thoughts as he approached his drawer.

' _I don't feel like playing them…'_ he thought, feeling a twinge of regret as he felt that ignoring them would mean that he would have wasted his parent's money (his parents kept trying to tell him otherwise, but that never stopped him from thinking as such). However, if he wasn't going to play them, he may as well try and keep them clean.

With that thought in his head, the Welder moved on to do some cleaning. His room, while not exactly messy, still had some clutter to it, and it was probably for the best that he fixed that before it got out of hand.

A knock on the door to his house had snapped him out of his cleaning moment. Swiftly, Yosetsu plopped down a small metal emblem with _Bael's_ insignia on it down and raced to the door. With one eye closed, the Welder stared out of the peephole. He half expected a _Chryse_ kid to be out there, but to his surprise, it was a mailman. Strange, why would a mailman walk up to personally deliver a letter… didn't they have letterboxes at the bottom of every HDB flat?

Opening the door a little, Yosetsu peered out cautiously at the mailman. He had a blue shirt and a matching blue hat, with a small bag which most likely contained several envelopes in it, one of which he was hold in his hand. For a moment, Yosetsu thought it was a just a letter for his father… at least until he saw the words _UA_ on the postman's shirt.

"Are you Takumi Awase?" asked the mailman, not knowing that Yosetsu was frozen in shock. It took about ten seconds before Yosetsu had snapped out of it, and it was only because the mailman had snapped his fingers in front of his face. "Sir?"

"Uh… oh!" proclaimed Yosetsu, face flushed with embarrassment as he fully opened the door, enough to show that he was, in fact, _not_ Takumi Awase. "I… I'm Yosetsu Awase, his son!"

"Ah," said the mailman, his mouth curving up into a rather proud smile as he tipped his postman hat. "Even better. You'd wanna have a look inside this letter."

Upon saying that, the mailman passed Awase the envelope that was in his hand, making Yosetsu's heart skip multiple beats as he took it. With one last nod, and after the mailman tipped his hat one last time to bid Yosetsu farewell, a human sized portal opened behind him and he stepped back into it.

' _A Portal Quirk… handy for postal services,'_ thought Yosetsu as the mailman had left before he moved to close the door. Swiftly, he leapt onto the living room couch and opened the envelope. And rather nervously, the boy read the letter which was within it with shaky hands.

 _Dear Takumi Awase and Yuuko Kamishiro._

 _I, Principal Nezu, have reviewed the physical and mental capabilities of your son, Yosetsu Awase, among several other possible candidates for my academy, UA. From what I have seen, Yosetsu Awase has great potential and therefore I have decided to give him a chance at entering UA. Attached to this letter is an entry proof for the Physical and Written Entrance Exams into my academy. On the 11th of October, please head down to your school's principal with this letter in hand. He will be able to handle the rest, if he is competent enough anyways._

 _All the best to your son, and remember, Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!_

 _Principal Nezu_

Before he even read the end of the letter, Yosetsu had found himself tearing up. The boy was glad that his parents weren't home to see him weep as the boy was shedding an impressive amount of tears, though for perhaps the first time in his life, they were tears of joy.

The boy didn't let himself cry for too long, however. About five minutes after he began to weep in joy, the boy stopped, wiped his eyes, and rushed to change into his proper outside attire. The boy knew that it was irresponsible to do this, and perhaps a little rude, but he really wanted to tell his friends about this.

* * *

 **About ten minutes later**

If he were two years younger, Yosetsu doubt that he would be able to maintain a consistent speed without stopping if he were to run from his house to the _Chryse Orphanage_. Now, however, the boy could sprint at full speed from his HDB flat up to the orphanage without using all his stamina. To be fair, he was still winded when he got there, but he had a feeling that he would have fainted if he were as strong as he was two years ago.

Despite his fatigue, however, Yosetsu still had more than enough strength to knock on the door to the _Chryse Orphanage_. He was answered by, surprisingly, Merribit herself. Usually, the door would be opened by Shino, Eugene, Orga or any one of the 'Takaki Yamagi Ride' trio.

"Yosetsu?" greeted Merribit with a smile. The woman seemed much more enthusiastic than usual, and the Welder would find out why soon enough.

"Merribit-San, is everyone here?" inquired Yosetsu as politely as he usually was. Merribit simply nodded as she stepped back to let him enter, her smile never fading as she did.

"Of course. In fact, everyone is waiting for you!" she announced when Yosetsu stepped in, just in time to see that every last orphan in the building was gathered in the living room, crowded around something, or more accurately, some _one_ who was holding an envelope that looked very similar to his.

"R-Really?" asked Awase, clearly caught off guard at the fact that people they had been expecting him, enough to shake up his confidence ever so slightly. Turning to glance at Merribit as she walked up to his side, the blonde smiled and patted his back gently. "What's t-the occasion?"

Merribit did not respond, instead, she simply urged him to join the crowd, giving him a gentle push to get him moving. As soon as she did, and after Yosetsu gave a soft squeak, Shino and Yamagi had turned to face him. Shino simply smirked as he gave a two fingered salute while the blonde narrowed his eyes at Yosetsu, seemingly activating his Quirk as he did. Within a second, however, he widened them back to their original size and allowed a genuine smile to grace his face. Awase reckoned that he just found out about the letter, but he didn't tell them yet. He wanted to keep it a surprise from as many of them as possible.

"H-Hey, everyone," greeted Yosetsu when he got close, and everyone else turned to face him, responding to his greeting with several of their own. As they did, Yosetsu noted how everyone seemed to be ecstatic. Even Eugene, who would typically be sleeping soundly at this time of day, was wide awake. It must've been something truly special for Eugene to skip out on his daily naps. "What's the occasion?"

"Well, see for yourself," suggested Ride, slapping Yosetsu on the back chummily. If he were two years younger, the boy would have staggered and possibly even fell down from that simple motion. But now, he simple flinched and turned to give Ride a small nod before turning to the one thing which currently held all their attention.

Mikazuki, or more specifically, a letter which the boy was holding. And it didn't take long for Yosetsu to realize what it was.

"Y-You got it too…" he muttered, only for a small smile to grace his youthful face. Mika did not return it, and his body language didn't tell Yosetsu that he was excited or anything like that, but there was a small spark in his eye which told Yosetsu that he was, at the very least, happy.

"Ah," confirmed Augus, standing up as he approached Awase. When he was right in front of him, the marginally shorter boy looked up at his friend and flashed the very first, genuine smile which Yosetsu had seen from him. "Congratulations, Yosetsu Awase."

"T-Thanks," thanked Yosetsu with a small, embarrassed smile, taken aback by how… natural that smile looked on Mika's face. "Congrats to you too, Mikazuki Augus."

* * *

 **Several months later, November First**

Gulping a tad, Yosetsu did his best to hold the nervous feeling in his gut back.

' _I knew this was coming… I shouldn't be_ _ **this**_ _nervous…'_ thought Yosetsu, mentally scolding himself at how he was currently feeling. Currently dressed in his _Bandai High_ uniform, the boy stood before the one place which he never thought he'd even be able to get close to; _UA_ _High_.

Over the past month, Yosetsu had went through the UA Entrance Exam's Written segment alongside about twenty other students from _Bandai High_ , Mikazuki included. Yosetsu had did exceptionally well on that segment while Mika had just _barely_ scraped through it. Kio, who was also a part of it, did better than Augus, but not nearly as good as Yosetsu.

When he got the results for his written test back, Yosetsu was justifiably shocked to learn that he was among the top one thousand in the UA administration. Mika, on the other hand, was at the lower tier regarding UA, but he did just well enough to get to the practical exam.

After their written exams, Awase had spent roughly two weeks preparing himself, mentally and physically, for this day. Yet, despite all that prep time, he was still shaking in his boots. So much so that he completely forgot that Mikazuki was standing behind him, dressed in, like he himself, the _Bandai High_ uniform, until he clapped him on the back, prompting the Welder to yelp and leap into the air.

"You alright, Yosetsu?" questioned Mika, sounding somewhat worried as he stared at his friend. Yosetsu simply chuckled anxiously and nodded.

"Kinda… just… enthusiastic, I guess you could say?" answered Yosetsu, readjusting his headband as he spoke. "I mean… all my life, I even never thought I'd even be able to _look_ at this building…"

"You thought a lot of things," pointed out Mika as he took a step towards the academy before them. Yosetsu did the same, and soon the two of them were walking towards UA's front gates alongside several hundred other teens. "Most of them being irrational fears you tend to get."

Yosetsu's response was a soft, sheepish chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. Mika wasn't wrong, so he didn't exactly have the right to deny that. Once that was done, Awase took a quick look around their current location. And, admittedly, he was surprised to see so many fellow would-be-Heroes entering UA. He knew that there would be a lot, but the amount was still impressive.

"You brought it, didn't you?" asked Mika, turning to Yosetsu, who took a few moments to understand what his friend meant before he nodded and patted his backpack.

"Y-Yeah… if I forgot, I'd never forgive myself."

"So to all examiners listening in, _Welcome_ , to my show today!"

Upon hearing that voice, Yosetsu widened his eyes and gave a rather girly squeal, making Mika turn to face his friend with an expression which questioned his likings. Awase didn't seem to notice however, as he simply stared at the Pro Hero before them.

Not too long after their arrival to the Academy, everyone who was present and intended to attend the Entrance Exam were filed into an auditorium of sorts, where a Pro Hero which Yosetsu instantly recognised, while Mika didn't even know the name of, had greeted them. According to Yosetsu, the Hero was the aptly named _Present Mic_.

"Everyone say hey!" exclaimed _Mic_ enthusiastically to the crowd, to which he got no response that was audible to either Mika or Yosetsu. Undeterred, _Mic_ went on with his speech, even if he did lose a little enthusiasm. "Ah, what a refined response!"

The lackluster response in regards to Yosetsu was rather simple. He, alongside a handful of other teens, were fangasming at the sight of an actual Hero of UA. Sure, _Present Mic_ wasn't exactly popular, but he was well known enough to several individuals, including the Welder, to make them hold their hands to their mouths and smile widely.

"I can't believe it… it's really him…!" mutter-yelled Yosetsu, while Mika simply raised a brow, still wondering who this _Present Mic_ was.

"Who…?" he muttered as the man known as _Present Mic_ began instructing the entire auditorium on the upcoming events, speaking of the various spots that the potential Heroes would be in for their evaluation. Yosetsu listened to everything he had to say, acknowledging everything in regards to the low-level enemies they would face and the point system.

Mika, on the other hand, found it hard to listen to _Present Mic's_ over enthusiastic voice and eventually gave up on doing so. Besides, Yosetsu had filed him in on a majority of the basics after it was all said and done anyways. The Welder filled him in on the upcoming ten minute mock battle they would be in eventually and the three different faux robot enemies they'd battle, earning points based on their 'levels'.

After the rather odd introductions, courtesy of _Present Mic_ and re-explained by Yosetsu, both Mikazuki and Yosetsu, alongside several hundred other potential candidates for the UA Academy, were filed into a large locker-esc room to change into outfits which were more suited for what they were about to go through within the hour.

Yosetsu himself had brought along an outfit which was put together by Merribit herself. Of course, the Welder insisted that she didn't need to, but Merribit was a tenacious one, and she eventually got/forced him to accept the outfit she sewed together for him. At first, Yosetsu thought that it looked rather goofy, but when he put it on, he realized that it was rather… comfortable, though it did still look goofy. Both his shirt and pants were made out of a tough cargo material which was very reminiscent of those worn by his parents, IE those worn by engineers, though there were several… ' _Chryse_ touches' added on to his attire.

For his shirt, the collar was noticeably enlarged, going all the way up to cover his mouth like some odd mouth guard. The sleeves were also noticeably longer, stretching down to his wrists. According to Merribit, she had enlarged the collar of the shirt to keep dust from entering his mouth, something which Yosetsu did appreciate, and the longer sleeves, while it would perhaps overheat him, would hopefully keep his wrists safe.

As for his pants, they were practically jeans, though everyone in the orphanage insisted that they weren't. From what Yosetsu could tell, four of the six pockets on his pair of long pants were stitched on. At the moment he didn't know what he could use the extra pockets for. He did reckon that they would come in handy in the future, however, so he never questioned it.

Ride, Takaki and Yamagi had also pitched into his uniform, providing the boy with a pair of factory issued safety boots they had stuffed up in their attic for some unknown reason. The steel tips of his toes acted as a small form of assurement for his toes if they were ever to be crushed by anything.

On the polar opposite of the clothing spectrum, however, Mikazuki wore what Yosetsu thought to be rather ineffective for combat. Wearing only his sleeveless blue shirt and usual _Chryse_ , paddedpants, with the only real protection he had was a metal casing for his bone tail that Yosetsu had Welded on… and that was about it. The boy had been worrying about Augus' less than combat etiquette attire, though if he were honest, Yosetsu did believe that Mika could take a hit or two even without any combat specific equipment.

Rather inevitably, however, both Mikazuki and Yosetsu were made to part ways in regards to a rule which stated that no two contestants who were from the same school were allowed to be in the same Battle Site. It was perhaps a precaution for cheating or to avoid friendly fire, though it only served to agitate an already nervous Yosetsu, considering how Mikazuki wouldn't be present…

"You'll be fine," assured Augus before the two parted ways, with Mikazuki splitting off to Battle Site C. "Just remember what you were taught and you'll get through without any issue…"

Yosetsu had smiled at that advice, though Mika did add _"hopefully"_ to his sentence right as he believe Yosetsu to be out of earshot. The boy believed in his friend's abilities, that was for sure, though his confidence was still something which needed to improve.

Even so, he did silently wish Yosetsu good luck.

"This is…" muttered Yosetsu in shock as he stared up at the massive area which was dubbed 'Battle Site D'. If the Welder had to make several assumptions, he would assume that the walls that surrounded the site alone were at least two times taller than the HDB flat he called home, and the entire thing seemed to be half as wide as the entire region of Niigata.

"Battle Site D…" finished a random contestant nearby, crossing his arms as he stared up at the gate separating them from the interior alongside several hundred other potential UA students. With a gulp, Yosetsu slowly felt a nervous pit get formed in his stomach once more. He knew _Present Mic_ mentioned that they would be fighting Faux Villains in Rural areas, though he never expected it to be _this_ _massive_.

' _We're meant to fight machines… inside_ _ **there**_ _?!'_ thought a mildly panicked Yosetsu as he felt his heartbeat speed up. The boy began hyperventilating as he began thinking of all the negative things which could happen inside. Right before his fears could really take a hold of him, however, the Welder mentally slapped himself and forced his lungs to take in a massive intake of air.

"Deep breaths…" he instructed himself, forcing his lungs to move as he held a hand to his chest.

' _Just because Mikazuki isn't here doesn't mean I can't gain some points of my own…'_ thought Yosetsu, cracking a half-smile as he felt his heart rate slow down in response to that thought. _'Just remember what they keep telling you… be calm… be positive… and you'll make it…'_

In an effort to stay calm, Yosetsu resorted to looking at various other contestants in his immediate vicinity. Sure enough, the variety of teenagers/young adults who were all with him in this Practical Exam was rather impressive, and their Quirks, or at least what Yosetsu was able to see thus far, were even more so. Notable Quirks included a black haired boy's ability to spin his wrists as though they were drills, another who seemed to be able to control lightning, not unlike Kio, and even one whose palms began lighting up with explosions from time to time.

While he had a look around, however, Yosetsu caught a glimpse of a rather emotionless looking young woman who was staring at right him. Perhaps unintentionally, the Welder stared back at her, taking note of her cerulean blue eyes and shoulder length, bob shaped black hair. The boy did think that she was beautiful, though he would probably never say that out loud, considering the fact that she was a stranger.

For a brief moment, both Yosetsu and the black haired young woman stared at one another, with the former sweat dropping after eye contact was maintained for roughly ten seconds while the latter kept her gaze neutral, very much reminding the boy of Mika. At the eleventh second, however, the emotionless girl turned her upper body towards him and gave a rather rigid thumbs up, an unexpected gesture that Yosetsu first had no clue how to respond to, though after some time, the Welder gave a shaky thumbs up of his own, prompting the bob haired girl to nod in apparent approval before turning away from Yosetsu.

' _She… seems nice…'_ thought Yosetsu rather wistfully as he tugged on his overly long collar, not acknowledging the warmness in his cheeks as he did. And even when he did begin to realize that he was blushing mildly, the Welder, alongside everyone who was in the vicinity of Battle Site D, heard the ever loud voice of _Present Mic_ from above them, prompting every last one of them to stare up at the Pro-Hero, who was, rather unnoticeably thanks to the fact that he was probably a hundred or so metres above them, smiling like a maniac as he stood atop a hundred metre tall observation tower.

"Alright! _**START**_!"

Upon hearing that, everyone stared up at him in confusion, prompting the Pro-Hero to chuckle.

"What!? There are no timers in battles, real or mock! Now, GO GO GO!"

After the first 'go' was uttered, the gates of Battle Site D swung open, and right as the last 'go' left his lips, every last contestant barged into the site with very little regard for safety. Yosetsu was momentarily shocked, but after someone knocked into his side whilst running into Battle Site D, the Welder swiftly snapped back to reality and rushed into Battle Site D, only to be quickly buried in the ocean of bodies that was rushing in as well, though before long had had broken off from the main group to strike out on his own.

Yosetsu himself split off to the western side of Battle Site D, sprinting through the streets of the Site until he came face to face with a 1 point Faux Villain that rounded a corner, ambushing Yosetsu with very little effort. With a singular wheel acting as its legs, two arms that were most likely longer than its entire body, both of which wielding shields of sorts with the number '1' on them, and a singular optic that acted as its eye, the 1 point Faux Villain swiftly zoned in on Yosetsu.

" _Target acquired!"_ exclaimed the 1 point Faux Villain in a voice which caused Yosetsu to stop in his tracks. _"I'LL SMASH YOU FLAT!"_

"Gah!" proclaimed Yosetsu as he came to a stop, his mouth opening up under his collar as the Faux Villain shot its fist at him. Leaping back to avoid the punch, the Welder did his best to plan a counterattack, though the adrenaline and panic that was just released into his systems stopped him from forming a cohesive thought. Thankfully for the Welder, however, before the Faux Villain could do any more damage, it stopped dead in its tracks and began fluctuating. And within a few seconds, a fist burst out of its chest. A fist which seemed to have _drilled_ through its chassis.

The fist remained buried in the chest of the Faux Villain for a moment before it was ripped out of its back, allowing it to fall to the ground as the one who disabled it smiled and unclenched his fists. With jet black hair and a face that seemed rather plain, he swiftly turned to acknowledge Yosetsu with a smile.

"You ok?" he asked, and Yosetsu's simple response was a nod. Chuckling ever so slightly at that, the black haired boy turned on his heel and sprinted off, leaving Yosetsu to stare at him for a few moments, though he quickly slapped himself mentally as he turned down to the 1 point Faux Villain's chassis.

Deactivated and unmoving, the Faux Villain didn't look as intimidating as Yosetsu remembered it to be a few seconds prior. The Welder did notice that there were a few sharp shards of metal sticking out it its chassis, however, and that gave him an idea. Reaching down towards the largest shard of metal, the boy managed to twist it off the deactivated chassis of the 1 point Faux Villain, earning himself a few small cuts on his hand as he did. Once it was off, the boy stared at it intently for roughly a second before welding it straight onto his right forearm.

The phrase: _"Shrapnel can potentially become objects you can weld onto your arm to create makeshift blades!"_ which was uttered by Takaki roughly a year ago came flying back to Yosetsu as he stared at his new makeshift weapon. It wasn't much, but it would most likely do better than him trying to attack these Faux Villains with his fists, and after a quick nod to himself, the Welder sprinted off to find his first target.

And within a few seconds, he came face to face with yet another 1 point Faux Villain, looking very similar to the one he encountered not too long ago. With its singular wheel rolling itself towards him, the machine took Awase by surprise. The boy, however, did his best to suppress it as he clenched his right fist. And, with all the strength he could muster, Yosetsu sprinted hard towards the 1 point machine and, when he was roughly two metres away from it, the Welder leapt up into the air and pulled back his right arm, only to shoot it out and jam his makeshift arm blade in between the segmented plates of the machine's neck unit.

The makeshift blade dug shockingly deep into the 1 point unit's neck, and the Faux Villain spazzed out for a few seconds before it went still, falling onto its back with a victorious Yosetsu standing atop it.

"I… did it…" muttered Yosetsu, allowing himself to smile before he sprinted off to find another target. His next few targets were 1 point units, all dispatched in similar ways with his makeshift arm blade.

His first encounter with a 2 point unit wasn't too smooth. With its four arachnid-esc legs, a sauropod styled neck and what appeared to be a stinger, the 2 point Faux Villain was most definitely a larger threat than the average 1 point Faux Villain. So it came as a real shock when the first 2 point Faux Villain Yosetsu came into contact with caught by surprise when the Welder leapt up onto its back with the help of a nearby chassis of a destroyed 1 point Faux Villain.

Once he was on its back, Yosetsu did his best to hold on and soon jammed his makeshift arm blade in between the armor plates of the 2 point Faux Villain's back. The 2 pointer spazzed out violently before deactivating, however, shaking around hard enough to throw Yosetsu off its back. The Welder landed on the ground with an 'oof', though he was definitely in better shape than the Faux Villain, who crumpled down onto the ground, unmoving.

' _That makes twelve points…'_ thought Yosetsu as he stood himself up and continued sprinting. His sprinting was cut very short, however, when he skidded to a stop right just in time to see a rather familiar, bob haired girl standing before a trio of Faux Villains. With wide eyes, Yosetsu watched as the Faux Villains, two 2 pointers and a heavily armoured 3 point unit, with what appeared to be (hopefully non-functional) missile launchers on its back, two back wheels and a pair of 'front feet' which resembled a tank's mine sweeper, approached the bob haired girl.

Instinctively, Awase began to sprint towards the bob-haired girl, intending on perhaps helping her in some way. What he didn't expect, however, was for her to press her fingertips against one another and close her eyes, most likely in concentration. And what happened next made Yosetsu stop straight in his tracks.

Within the span of a few short seconds, the bob haired girl began to grow in size, her height increasing until she released her fingertips and opened her eyes, and by then the bob haired young woman was at least ten times her original height, and most likely stood at around a quarter of the height of the HDB flat he called home.

Now with a size advantage, the bob haired girl made short work of the 2 and 3 point Faux Villains. She dealt with the 2 pointers by simply picking them up and smashing them against one another, reducing them to nothing more than two piles of scrap. As for the 3 pointer, it attempted an escape, though the bob haired girl was having none of it. Lifting her leg up, she brought it down onto the 3 point Faux Villain, reducing it into a hunk of flattened scrap, before stepping back and sighing.

Yosetsu saw everything happen with his own two eyes, and to say that he was both awestruck and envious of that impressive Quirk would be an understatement. Hell, he was awestruck enough to mutter a "whoa…", loud enough to make the bob haired young lady to turn around and face him. And for the second time in that day, both she and Yosetsu's eyes locked, with the former giving him an emotionless stare while the latter gave an awestruck gaze with his mouth agape under his massive collar.

Eye contact was broken after Yosetsu, rather absentmindedly, gave the giant bob haired girl a thumbs up, a gesture which mirrored the one she gave him not too long ago. In response, the now much taller girl stared at her hand for a few seconds before giving a thumbs up of her own before she jogged onwards to crush more Faux Villains under her heel, leaving Yosetsu on his own to watch as she jogged off, stuck in a minor trance which kept him thinking about the shear coolness of that size altering Quirk…

Though his trance was broken when he heard a 1 point Faux Villain come racing at him on its unicycle wheel. Blinking hard as he was snapped back into reality, Yosetsu whirled to face it and leapt back as it slammed its left arm into the ground.

" _DIE!"_ proclaimed the robot, charging in to take another swing at Yosetsu.

* * *

 **UA observation tower**

"If you ask me, he's doing rather well for a child who's Quirk is ill suited for physical combat."

Those were the words uttered by a Pro-Hero, one of the handful who were up in the observation tower of Battle Site D, looking down on the potential UA students as they did battle. Like the others, he was in his Hero Costume, primarily a red outfit with white/silver gauntlets, boots and waist pad, with a slender tub on his left gauntlet that trailed all the way up to his back.

The Pro-Hero was known to the general populace as _Vlad King_ , the _Blood Hero_ , though to his own friends and fellow UA teachers, he was simply _Sekijiro Kan_.

Alongside his fellow UA staff members and teachers, Sekijiro had been observing the potential students of UA via a massive screen which showed the actions of every student. How they managed to do this was best left unexplained. During the past four minutes, Sekijiro has admittedly found himself being more focused on the boy who was named _Yosetsu Awase_ on the UA records for his rather impressive use of his Weld Quirk.

Having a non-offensive Quirk be used in an offensive way wasn't unheard of, but it was still rare… and for someone as young as Yosetsu to be able to use it in such a way, well… it got his attention for sure, especially now, as he stabbed the 1 point Faux Villain in the elbow joint with his makeshift arm blade, causing a joint malfunction that opened it up for a strike in its segmented neck armour.

Of course, several other potential candidates for UA also caught his eye, and one rather literal example was the girl who went by _Yui Kodai_ , with her Quirk allowing her to enlarge whatever she wished via simple hand contact. It was a strong Quirk for sure, though Yui herself didn't seem keen on performing any real heroics, as evident by the fact that she nearly crushed several of her fellow contestants, most likely unintentionally, during her rampage around Battle Site D. Still, that didn't stop her from having the, as of now, highest elimination score of 53.

Another child who caught his attention went by _Mikazuki Augus_ in UA's records. The boy was located near the eastern side of Battle Site C and Sekijiro considered him, to put it lightly, a beast on the battlefield. Often leaping from target to target, the boy seemed to possess an unlimited amount of stamina, though like Yui, he did not bother himself with heroics, preferring to get as many eliminations as he could. As of now, he had the highest elimination rating in Battle Site C, a solid 64.

' _This certainly has been a good year for us…'_ thought Sekijiro wistfully as he placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully. _'Every candidate thus far has either shown immense heroics or excellent combat efficiency. If taught correctly, I suspect that each and every one of them, regardless of Quirk strength, will be able to become proper Pro-Heroes…'_

Right as he thought of that, however, the Pro-Hero to his left gave a mild snort as he pointed towards a black haired boy on screen. He looked plain, very plain, as he ran through the roads of Battle Site D. What caught the attention of the Pro-Hero, however, was the fact that he had another boy's arm slung around his shoulder, a boy who seemed to be unconscious as the plain looking person dragged him along to safety.

"This one… _Sen Kaibara_ , seems to have potential in my eyes," said the Pro-Hero with a smile, and Sekijiro couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"You say that about every contestant who saves another, _Higari_ ," quipt Sekijiro with a smirk. The man in question, _Higari Maijima_ , or more well known to the general populace as the _Excavation Hero_ , _Power Loader_ , smiled in response. The Pro-Hero was still in his Hero Costume, without a shirt and with his ridiculously large helmet. His mech suit was missing, though it was understandable as it would've taken up too much space in the room. "But I will admit, seeing such feats of heroics does bring a smile onto my face…"

"Exactly my point," responded Higari, adding a point onto Sen Kaibara's 'Rescue Point' chart. "But I still feel like we should be using _it_ …"

" _It_ , huh?" muttered Sekijiro, sounding mildly uncertain as Higari smirked under that giant mask of his. "What do the others think of it?"

In response to Sekijiro's inquire, Higari turned to his side and questioned his fellow Pro-Heroes if they should use _it_. They all seemed skeptical, though _Present Mic_ was all in for it, so, after giving a nonchalant shrug, Higari turned to a button labelled the _Yaruki Switch_ and poked it.

And that was probably when everything began descending into chaos for the final three minutes of combat.

* * *

It all began with a minor tremor. At first, Yosetsu thought that it was because he was in the vicinity of that giant bob haired young lady, though he soon realized that even she wouldn't be able to shake the earth beneath them _this_ intensely.

And that thought was confirmed when the ground shook even more, shaking hard enough that several nearby contestants were swept off their feet. Yosetsu himself held onto the chassis of a 1 point Faux Villain he had just deactivated to keep himself upright. It didn't seem to be an isolated occurrence in Battle Site D, however, as even in its neighboring Sites of Battle Site C and E, the ground was shaking immensely, enough to make even Mikazuki Augus fall to one knee.

"What the…" muttered Mika, allowing himself to sound shocked for a brief moment as he ripped his tail out of the deactivated chassis of a 3 point Faux Villain.

The shaking went on for roughly five seconds, and what followed was a few moments of silence. Several competitors in every Exam Site wondered what the heck all that was, though most of them went along their way to gain more points, believing it to be nothing more than a minor tremor that swept past UA and nothing more…

Right when everything seemed to calm down and move on, however, the center roads of every Battle Site exploded dramatically, sending massive clouds of smoke up into the air as _something_ began making its way up to the surface of each site. With his eyes wide and mouth agape under his collar, Yosetsu, alongside everyone else who was in the vicinity of the center of Battle Site D, shielded their faces as the massive cloud of smoke came at them. Several competitors were knocked off their feet by the cloud of smoke, though a majority kept themselves upright as the smoke began dying down.

And by then, every single person in Battle Site D was able to get a clear look at what had caused the massive cloud of smoke to be ejected, and saying that the mere _sight_ of it had frozen all the blood in their veins would be an understatement. No… the proper way to describe it would be to say that the sight of the massive, Kaiju sized Faux Villain petrified every single one of them.

Standing at least ten to twenty metres taller than even the largest building in Battle Site D, the sole 0 point Faux Villain of Site D was truly a sight to behold. With its rectangle shaped head, eight glassy optics and two, massive arms complete with three individual fingers, the unit definitely looked more 'normal' than a majority of the other bots. The thing had massive, _Guntank_ -esc tank treads in place of proper legs, which was fine by Yosetsu. If it had proper legs, it would most likely be even taller… something which _nobody_ in Battle Site D wanted.

"T-That's…" muttered a nearby competitor as he, alongside several others, backed away. "T-THAT'S WAY TOO BIG!"

And with that, the massive 0 point Faux Villain slammed its fist into the ground in front of it, kicking up a massive cloud of dust which sent several flying backwards. Yosetsu managed to keep himself upright by using the deactivated chassis of the 1 point Faux Villain as a crutch, though by the time the cloud of smoke cleared, the boy turned away from it and hightailed it out of there. He only increased his sprinting speed when he noticed that the massive mech was headed west, towards _Yosetsu_ and everyone else who was at the western wing of Battle Site D.

And it was at that point in time when Yosetsu remembered a smaller, almost insignificant part of _Present Mic's_ briefing, a segment where he spoke of a 0 point Faux Villain… one which would go crazy in narrow spaces. At first he assumed that it was just that, a simple Faux Villain made to fill the ranks of Battle Site D… not a massive, _Kaiju sized mechanical monstrosity_.

As it rolled towards Yosetsu and everyone who was in his general location, the 0 point Faux Villain lifted its arm up and slammed the ground in front of it once more, kicking up an even larger cloud of smoke which knocked managed to knock Yosetsu, among several others, down onto their stomachs/backs. Landing with a loud 'oof!', Yosetsu got up to a kneeling position and gave a quick cough before turning up to face the massive machine.

The machine was currently lifting its arm back up to its side. However, perhaps as a result of its massive size or just the fact that it was so close to the buildings, the massive Faux Villain's elbow had slammed into the side of a massive building as it was retracting its arm. That simple action caused several chunks of debris to eject from the side of the structure, and in a massive stroke of bad luck, Yosetsu realized that if he didn't move out of the way, he would most definitely get crushed by those chunks of debris.

Swiftly scrambling up onto his feet, the Welder began sprinting out of the danger zone as fast as his feet would allow him. Yelping as a sizable chunk of debris landed a mere three metres away from him, the boy unintentionally slowed down, and when he turned up he realized that _several_ chunks of the damage building were coming straight at him. Speeding back up, the boy did his absolute best to get out of the danger zone, though in his haste, the boy failed to notice a bump in the terrain until he had tripped over it, landing on his side with a harsh _thump_.

And before long, the Welder widened his eyes when he saw that he was still in the impact site of several chunks of debris, with some looking big enough to give him a proper concussion or even outright _kill_ him. Swiftly, he attempted to get back up and continue sprinting away, but his panic combined with the adrenaline rush made him clumsier than he usually was, as the Welder kept tripping over his own two feet instead of getting back up and running off with them. And right as he got back up onto his own two feet, he turned up and widened his eyes when he saw a chunk of debris less than twenty metres away from impacting his face…

… and suddenly, all Yosetsu could see was a massive structure moving over him to shield him from the incoming debris. Yelling in fear as he fell back at the unexpected structure moving in front of him, Yosetsu swiftly realized that the entity that just saved his skin was no simple structure, but a _person_. A familiar, bob haired young lady at that.

"Are you… ok?" asked the bob haired lady with at least some concern in her voice, her soulful cerulean eyes making contact with his grey ones for about the third time in that one afternoon. Yosetsu did try to give her a verbal answer, though him being on edge prevented him from doing so, and to compensate for that, the Welder simply gave his savior a shaky thumbs up, and to his surprise, she actually _smiled_ at that, however mildly said smile was didn't really matter.

However, the moment was cut short once the Welder just barely noticed how the 0 point Faux Villain was turning its head to face the bob haired girl. And he widened his eyes beyond belief when he saw that it was raising an arm up to prepare a strike.

With panic acting as his primary boost but his voice still gone thanks to the immense adrenaline rush, Yosetsu resorted to pointing up at the 0 point Faux Villain, a gesture which made the bob haired girl widen her nominally emotionless eyes and whirl around to face it, though by then, she didn't have much time to react as the massive hand unit of the 0 pointer slammed into her body, sending both her and Yosetsu flying into the side of a building.

While the giant, bob haired girl was sent flying _into_ the building, creating a massive hole in its side and ejecting a massive cloud of smoke into the air, Yosetsu himself landed somewhere in front of it with a loud _thump_. It took him some time to recover from the initial landing, and even after he stood himself up, the boy found his vision to be rather blurry. The massive cloud of smoke surrounding him did very little to help that fact.

However, as soon as Yosetsu laid eyes on the 0 point Faux Villain, the Welder immediately panicked, backing away subconsciously as he felt fear take over his body. Said fear was so strong that the makeshift blade on Yosetsu's right forearm unwelded itself and dropped down with a soft _clink_ , though at that point, Yosetsu didn't even acknowledge it as he watched the 0 point Faux Villain roll past him, seemingly oblivious to his presence.

' _I should get out of here…'_ thought Awase as the massive Villain kept rolling towards the other contestants in Battle Site D. The massive adrenaline rush he was experiencing was enough to help him ignore the small wet spot forming below his headband as he slowly backed away from the 0 point Faux Villain, eyes wide and mouth agape under his slightly torn collar. _'This is my chance to get out of range… I can't beat that thing…'_

However, a pained cough close to Yosetsu's general area caught the attention of the Welder, who whirled around and remembered that the bob haired girl had crashed inside of this place mere seconds ago.

' _But she's still in there…'_ thought Yosetsu, his mind still racing thanks to the adrenaline rush. _'If someone doesn't offer aid… she could potentially gain a permanent injury… or worse…'_

Right as he thought the latter half of that statement, Yosetsu found his limbs moving on their own. One step, two step, three, four, and soon, he found himself running into the massive hole in the side of the building. Despite his usual, scared self, Yosetsu was never the type of person to willingly leave anyone to die. It was a trait that defined him as 'that kid who comes to train with us' in _Chryse_. Sure, it wasn't a healthy trait for him to have, though it was certainly what made him who he was…

Once inside the building, Yosetsu wasted no time in searching for the bob haired girl. Thankfully for him, the impact site wasn't exactly huge, and he was able to find the bob haired girl rather quickly.

In a rather morbidly impressive way, the body of the bob haired girl had managed to smash through two entire walls. Not so impressive was how her size was now that of the average teenage girl, and how her body was covered in multiple cuts and bruises. The girl's attire was a little shredded as well, though to be fair so was Yosetsu's. The Welder didn't really care about that small detail, however, as the only thing which he was really focused on was the fact that the bob haired girl was pinned down by a rectangular slab of concrete that was roughly a metre long.

Perhaps as an act of heroism or just plain stupidity, or perhaps a mix of both, Yosetsu immediately went to work on lifting the slab of concrete off the girl's waist. The girl herself seemed partially conscious, though Awase didn't pay much attention as he strained his muscles to their breaking point in an effort to lift the concrete slab off the girl.

Pouring in as much of his strength as he could, paired up with the adrenaline rush he was currently experiencing, Yosetsu was eventually able to flip the rectangular slab of concrete off the girl's waist, with said slab of concrete landing on its opposite side with a loud _crash_.

Once the deed was done, all Yosetsu could really do was fall onto his back and take in several deep breaths. His heart was racing and every muscle in his body screamed at him in pain, though he was willing to ignore all that as he stared over at the bob haired girl who passed out by now.

While he was reluctant at first, the Welder inevitably came to terms with the fact that he had to do this and promptly picked the partially conscious girl up and slung her left arm over his neck, holding her left hand with his own. His right hand was firmly locked against her waist, something he wasn't exactly fond of doing but had no real choice. And with that, he began walking out of the massive hole the bob haired girl had created when she crashed into the building, just barely hearing _Present Mic_ exclaim that their time was up.

If anything, Yosetsu had already forgotten that they were in the UA Entrance Exam. At this point, all he was really wondering about was why his headband felt so… slimy… and why he was feeling something wet drip down his forehead as he pulled the girl out of the building…

* * *

Amongst the chaotic crowd of Battle Site D, _Sen Kaibara_ was very much noted as being the calmest of them all. Whilst everyone else panicked and ran for their lives when the massive 0 point Faux Villain emerged, Sen had done his best to keep calm and help others in getting away from the unit.

And now, even as the entirety of Battle Site D was calming down, Sen kept doing what he usually did best, helping others. His Quirk, _Gyrate_ , was both a useful ability in combat and for rescue missions, making him a prime candidate for freeing his fellow contestants if they were trapped under any form of rubble. To his knowledge, the western side of Battle Site D was hit the hardest by the Kaiju sized Faux Villain, prompting him to rush to that side and do his thing.

Right after Sen had freed a young lady's leg from under a chunk of concrete, and after she thanked him, the boy almost immediately noticed a silhouette emerging from a still-smoking building. Without much hesitation, Kaibara immediately turned to face it. The silhouette was definitely not that of a Faux Villain. It was too human shaped, though to be sure, Sen waited for it to emerge from the smoke…

And he immediately sprinted towards the silhouette when he realized that it belonged to a wounded boy, who he himself was clinging onto an unconscious girl. Though he was by no means a medical expert, Sen could tell that the boy was rather gravely injured. Perhaps not fatally, though if his wounds were not treated as soon as possible, they could potentially be so.

As he got closer, however, Sen realized that his initial thoughts on the boy's wounds not being fatal could have been wrong. For one, his headband was a deep, dark shade of red, telling Sen that he was bleeding underneath it. The headband didn't seem to be doing much to staunch the bleeding, and the boy's skin was rather pale, signifying to Sen that he was suffering from blood loss.

"H-Hey…!" exclaimed the injured boy, limping forward with the unconscious, bob haired girl in tow. He seemed to be addressing Sen, and his current tone told the Gyrater that he was rather delirious from blood loss. "We… t-think you can h-h-help me with her…?"

Sen didn't need to be asked twice. Upon hearing the weak voice of the injured boy, he quickened his pace and, right as the injured boy was about to collapse, he managed to close the distance between himself and the wounded teenager, catching both he and the unconscious girl in his arms before they facepalmed.

"Steady now…" muttered Sen as he clung onto the weakened boy. Now that he was staring right at him, Sen found the boy rather familiar. Wasn't he the headbanded guy he saved a handful of minutes ago? Probably, though he didn't put too much thought on that at the moment. Looking down, he noted how his legs were shaking, almost as though they were strained from carrying his own weight, prompting him to hold onto the boy tightly so as to keep him and the girl he was clinging onto upright. "What happened to you?"

No response, most likely because he wasn't heard by the injured boy. Sen did not push the topic any further, however, seeing as the guy in his arms was close to passing out. At first, Kaibara intended on dragging him away to the nearest infirmary, though in a massive stroke of luck, a voice came up from behind him.

"I should have voiced out my concerns in regards to Higari's suggestion to using that _thing_ in an Entrance Exam," said the voice, a voice that belonged to an elderly woman, prompting Sen to turn and face the speaker. The boy who was in his grasp managed to lift his head up to stare at the speaker as well, much to the shock of Sen. And his shock only grew when the delirious boy spoke up.

"H-Hey… isn't… t-t-that… _Recovery G-Girl_?" asked the injured boy, and despite their current situation, the newcomer, _Recovery Girl_ , couldn't help but smile gently. Sen, on the other hand, turned to the injured boy in his grip.

"Don't talk… it's for your own good," he instructed as _Recovery Girl_ made her way up to the three of them. Even from a distance, she could very easily diagnose the injured boy with Hypovolemic Shock, or more commonly known as blood loss, though she wasn't too worried about that injury at the moment, seeing as she could heal it with a single gesture.

No, she was more interested in how this young man had gained these injuries. At first glance, she would have assumed that he was simply caught in the crossfire of the 0 point Faux Villain, though the sight of him with the bob haired girl's arm slung around his back told her otherwise. She herself was currently unconscious, and the way he was holding her told Recovery Girl that he had just saved her… a piece of information which helped her connect the dots in her head. And, unknowingly to her, Sen himself also seemed to get the idea of how Yosetsu got as many of the injuries as he currently had.

"You're a brave young man, Yosetsu Awase," complemented Recovery Girl with a smile. At that, Yosetsu weakly widened his eyes at the fact that she knew his name and was about to thank the elderly Heroine for her complement, though he began coughing before he could, prompting Sen to wince as he once again instructed Awase to refrain from speaking. And at that, Recovery Girl decided that it would be best to not prolong the Welder's pain, so she pursed her lips…

... which stretched out to an abnormal length towards Yosetsu's cheek to plant a kiss it. That single action gained many detractors in the crowd that was now staring over at them, with those who witnessed that sight visibly recoiling in disgust as soon as the Heroine kissed Awase.

However, Yosetsu, and by extension Sen, was well aware of why she did so and gave a thankful smile as he felt himself losing consciousness.

"T-Thanks… for that…" muttered Yosetsu before his eyes shut. Right as they fully closed, Sen noted how the Welder's skin was beginning to look less pale, and the numerous small cuts he had attained were healing on their own, prompting the Gyrator to release a breath that was caught in his throat. By then, Yosetsu's grip on the bob haired girl had weakened, prompting her unconscious body against Sen. not wasting too much time, _Recovery Girl_ swiftly planted a kiss on her cheek, and soon she herself was healing properly.

"Sen Kaibara, was it?" questioned _Recovery Girl_ after she planted a kiss on the unconscious bob haired girl's cheek, staring up at the Gyrator just in time to see that the boy in question had nodded in response to her question, prompting her to continue. "At the moment, I am unable to transport either Yosetsu Awase or _Yui Kodai_ to my infamary. If you would be so kind as to help me with this…"

Without much more than a nod, Sen dragged both Yosetsu and the bob haired girl, apparently named Yui, and slung her across his shoulder with very little ease. With Yui in one arm and Yosetsu in the other, both securely held in his grip, Sen turned to _Recovery Girl_ who offered him the fastest directions to her closest infirmary. Kaibara would then go on towards it, running into the Pro Hero _Power Loader_ in the middle of that short journey who assisted him for the rest of the way to the infirmary.

During this short journey, however, Sen couldn't help but look at the boy, Yosetsu, with a rather impressed expression. He didn't know him that well, hell he just learnt about his name a few minutes ago, but if what he was thinking of was true… then… well…

' _You've got guts, Yosetsu. I'll give you that much…'_

* * *

 **Despite what you may think, no, this story is not dead. Well, technically it has been dead for roughly seven months before I dug it back up and performed some Frankenstein shiet with it.**

 **On a more serious note, me not updating this story for seven months or so it due to a lack of motivation. BNHA kinda fell out of fashion for me, and Tekketsu No Kyojin RM was my top priority for the past few months. The fact that I'm now in the Singapore version of college doesn't really help much, so this story was kinda put on the backlines and forgotten…**

… **TILL NOW.**

 **As you can definitely tell, this chapter is the first chapter which dabbles in the actual canon of BNHA, just through the eyes of a different set of people. That, and this chapter is more Yosetsu focused than anything. The truth is that if we focused too much on Mika, we wouldn't have much of a chapter since he's most likely able to scrap every Faux Villain with very little effort.**

 **Fun fact, this chapter took quite some time to write. Being a paranoid little fucker I am, I got a little worried about if this chapter would be worth the wait. So after about 3 rewrites, I'm finally (sorta) satisfied with how it is. So let's see how this goes…**

 **Now is usually when I'd reply to reviews, though I don't have any. So yeah…**

 **Can we make Yui x Yosetsu a thing please? Considering how BNHA is a ship-fest, this shouldn't be too hard.**

 **Alright see ya.**

 **Very quick update: this chapter was edited immensely thanks to a review pointing out that Mikazuki and Yosetsu should be in different Battle Sites thanks to them being from the same class.**

 **Another edit was made on: 21/5/2019**


	6. The result of determination

Mikazuki Augus wasn't often one to show any signs of worry, and whenever he did, it would be subtle and horribly reserved.

Many thought it was because he was a broken child, someone who pushed away all emotion thanks to some traumatic event in his past, though they couldn't be further from the truth. The only real traumatic issue he had to face was coming to terms with the fact that no one would be adopting him, something which he took quite well since it meant he'd be with his family in _Chryse_ , theoretically, till the day he died. Aside from that, however, nearly nothing was able to make him worry

However, Yosetsu's extended absence from their agreed meeting spot for when they were dismissed from the briefing for their Entrance Exams was starting to rile up the _Chryse_ local least a little. The Welder wasn't exactly the type to be late for anything, even if it was five to ten minutes behind schedule.

So him being absent from their meeting spot for a whole _fifteen minutes_ was definitely something Mika found noteworthy, up to the point where he struck out on his own, walking back into the UA school site with his bag in tow to ask around for the whereabouts of his friend. He ignored the confused stares he occasionally got from those who were leaving the school's premises, though he was sure that as soon as he found his first Pro-Hero, he would ask for assistance in locating Yosetsu.

As it turned out, it didn't take him too long to stumble onto a Pro-Hero, a certain red suited, pale grey haired one at that. Augus didn't take long to identify him as the _Blood Hero_ , _Vlad King_. Despite his imposing stature, Mikazuki stared at him as he did any other person. Similarly, the Pro-Hero before him spoke to him in a rather gentle tone which contradicted his appearance.

"Hey, kid," greeted _Vlad King_ as he knelt down to look Mika in the eye, something that did irritate the boy mildly. "You lost? Or perhaps you're looking for a friend?"

"Yosetsu Awase," answered Mikazuki, getting straight to the point. Vlad King's simple response was a nod as he stood back up and jerked his thumb to his back.

"Yosetsu is in the infirmary," was _Vlad King's_ response, rubbing his cheek as he examined Augus. He examined him at him from top to bottom, almost as though the Tail-boy was familiar to him. After some time, however, he gave a mild shrug and quit staring at the younger boy. "You do know where it is, yes?"

"...no," admitted Mikazuki truthfully. Unlike Yosetsu, the boy never did bother to do a ton of research in the past few weeks in preparation for the Practical Exam. The boy probably knew UA like the back of his hand at this point while Mika would most likely struggle to find a toilet. That thought didn't really stick too much with him for long, however, as he was currently more concerned with searching for his Welder friend.

In all honesty, Mikazuki had fully expected _Vlad King_ to simply point him in the direction of the infirmary. The Pro-Hero most likely had better things to do than lead an overly short _Bandai High_ student there, so it came as a shock when the _Blood Hero_ offered to lead him there. Of course, Augus didn't decline, simply allowing the Pro-Hero to walk him there.

"You got a name?" asked _Vlag King_ as they began walking, prompting the boy to crane his neck up, _way up_ , to look him in the eye as he responded.

"Mikazuki Augus," he answered, plain and simple, though it made the Pro-Hero raise his brows in amusement.

"As in, that _Bandai High_ student who fought like a wild beast in Battle Site C?" clarified _Vlad_ , adding in a, "No offence," to show that he wasn't trying to insult the younger boy. Augus didn't really get why he did, seeing as it wasn't much of an insult anyways. Takaki did compare his fighting style when he first saw it to a wild beast anyhow.

"...maybe?" muttered Mika rather awkwardly as they rounded a corner. _Vlad_ seemed to have heard him, though, as he continued on.

"Your combat skills are commendable, especially for someone as young as yourself," complemented _Vlad_ , placing a rather large hand on Mika's smaller, in comparison, shoulder. "I would just like to say that if you do not get accepted into the Hero Course, then UA may need to check up on itself for letting such a promising youngster such as yourself slip through."

That was quite the compliment, especially from a Pro-Hero such as _Vlad King_ , and even Mika couldn't resist feeling mildly flattered as he nodded solemnly, his ahoge slumping downwards as a mild blush made its way onto his face, prompting a smirk to form on the Pro-Hero's face. He decided that he liked this kid.

And from then on, their walk was mostly in silence as they drew closer to the UA Battle Site D Infirmary. As they did, however, Mika's eyes swiftly darted towards a single black haired teenager who was walking away from it. The two locked eyes for a brief moment before they passed one another, though _Vlad_ decided to inform Augus that the boy, _Sen Kaibara_ , was responsible for bringing Yosetsu and a girl, _Yui Kodai_ , to the infirmary.

Mika supposed he owed him a quick thanks, though by the time he thought of that, the _Chryse_ resident was already in the Battle Site's infirmary. The infirmary was, to put it simply, plain, though then again it was probably not meant to look flashy in the first place. With a single table with a computer, two chairs, a clock which read 6:30 in the evening and at least one visible bed that was taken by a black haired girl, most likely Yui herself, the place looked like a standard doctor's office, bringing back memories of him being in a place like this in the past. He didn't remember why specifically, though he vaguely remember something about vaccines.

The occupant of the only visible bed was already awake and seemed to be perfectly fine. She was sitting upright and seemed to be staring at her own hands before Mikazuki and _Vlad King_ entered the room, where she quickly averted her attention towards them. Augus, on the other hand, stared way up at the Pro-Hero expectantly, and in response, he cleared his throat in an overly-dramatic fashion.

" _Recovery Girl_? You have a visitor!" he called out, his voice probably louder than he had expected it to be, though it had its intended effect as the Pro-Hero in question emerged from behind a curtain with a roll of bandages in her hand.

" _Vlad_ , what did I tell you about raising your voice in my infirmary just _five minutes ago_?" she scolded, waving the tip of her walking stick at _Vlad King_ as she placed the roll of bandages on her desk. Her response was a sheepish apology from the _Blood Hero_ as he explained why he was here after such a short period of time. _Recovery Girl's_ response was to walk up to Mika and stare at him for a good two seconds, rubbing her chin thoughtfully before nodding. "Hm, yes. Yosetsu is behind that curtain there. He's still a little delirious, so don't push him too hard."

"Ah…" muttered the _Chryse_ resident as he went up to meet his friend, ignoring the stare he was receiving from the girl who occupied the only visible bed as he did.

* * *

"H-Hey… Mika…"

Those were the first words Yosetsu offered to Mikazuki as soon as he came into view, and his friend visibly tensed up when he saw him. It was understandable, though, as the Welder was most likely rather worse for wear at the moment. Still wearing the damaged, cargo attire Merribit sew for him and with a bandage wrapped tightly around his forehead in place of his now blood stained headband, said headband resting on a small table nearby, the Welder supposed that he probably looked a lot more injured than he usually was.

"Hey…" muttered Augus, setting his bag down as he moved over to take a seat on a chair that stood next to Yosetsu's infirmary bed. And the two of them sat in silence for a moment, the awkward energy between them growing rather immensely until Awase shattered it.

"How w-were things on your end?" questioned the Welder, and Mika shrugged at that.

"Smooth," responded Mika rather instantaneously as he began reminiscing events that had just passed. "No one could bring down the big robot, so we ran until the time ran out."

"Heh… s-same thing happened on my side…" said Yosetsu with a smile and a forced chuckle. The _Chryse_ resident simply nodded in response, though straight after, the _Chyrse_ resident got straight to his biggest question.

"How did _this_ happen?" he asked, moving a hand up and pressing his fingers against Yosetsu's forehead bandage. The Welder chuckled nervously as he gave a closed eyed smile, clearly finding it rather awkward to speak about his injury and how he got it, though at the same time he didn't want to keep his answer ambiguous, knowing that Augus could very easily get Yamagi to pry it from him. So, as a compromise, the Welder decided to simply motion towards the curtain which separated his infirmary bed from the girl who was on the other side. Mikazuki seemed to get what he meant and nodded, seeming a little… impressed as he did. "...not bad."

"A-Ah…" muttered Yosetsu, giving a weak thumbs up as he did, prompting a small smile to form on Mika's lips, one that made Awase feel a little prouder than he supposed he should, though that smile was swiftly removed when _Recovery Girl_ came into view.

"How are you feeling, Yosetsu Awase?" asked the nurse as she walked up to the side of his bed, right beside Augus. The Tail-boy did allow the Pro-Hero to take the chair he had been sitting on, primarily out of respect for the elderly, though it was probably also thanks to the fact that it felt rather awkward for her to have to crane her neck up as high as it did just to address Awase.

Yosetsu responded to her inquiry was a simple thumbs up, and _Recovery Girl_ swiftly began listing off all the things she suggested he avoid doing to speed up his recovery. As she did, Augus decided to leave her and Awase to speak to each other in private, moving to pick his bag up and walking out to the center of the infirmary to wait.

While he stood at the center of the infirmary patiently, arms crossed and expression neutral, the _Chryse_ resident noted how the only other patient in the room kept sending occasional glances his way. From time to time, they would (probably unintentionally) lock their gazes before breaking eye contact mere moments after, though it wasn't exactly a common occurrence.

That girl seemed to gaze at him rather thoughtfully from time to time, perhaps wondering about his relationship with the boy beside her. After about five minutes, however, _Recovery Girl_ came out of the curtain with Yosetsu following behind her, prompting both Mika and the girl on the bed to turn towards him. The Welder still seemed a little groggy, though not enough to make Augus worry about him fainting on the spot.

"Yosetsu Awase will be fine," assured _Recovery Girl_ as she smiled up at Mikazuki, who nodded mildly. "Just make sure he doesn't participate in any strenuous physical activities for at least a week to allow for rest. While I removed most of his injuries, I would rather not take any risks."

While Mika listened to _Recovery Girl_ with all the enthusiasm of a rock sinking down into the ocean, Yosetsu simply stood behind the Pro-Hero, poking his fingers against one another as he waited. And soon enough, the Welder turned to the side and almost immediately found his gaze locked with a familiar, bob haired young woman who was staring at him intently. While the girl simply stared at him with a gaze that seemed to be trying to look through him, Yosetsu found that he was unable to maintain eye contact for longer than a few seconds at a time.

' _R-Right… I saved her… did I?'_ thought the boy uncertainty as he kept his gaze on the bob haired girl. The last minute or so of the Practical Exam was rather blurry to him, with all he could clearly remember was _her_ saving _him_ from several chunks of debris. Perhaps he should be thanking her now, though at the moment he couldn't even turn his head away to break eye contact with the girl, much less utter a 'thank you'.

One thing was for sure, however. Yosetsu was infinitely grateful for the fact that he was still wearing the cargo shirt that Merribit had provided him. Its huge collar made hiding his red cheeks exceptionally easy…

"...Yosetsu. Yosetsu? Can you hear me?" were the words that snapped Awase out of his current predicament as the boy blinked and turned to his friend who stared at him with some hints of worry. The uncharacteristic amount of worry Augus seemed to be showing him made the boy's cheeks flare up in embarrassment even more, and unlike the bob haired girl on the bed, Mika could tell that his friend was blushing.

"S-Sorry… spaced out for a moment there," apologised the Welder, and his response from Augus was a simple nod before he motioned for him to start moving. Awase didn't need to be told twice, as he swiftly nodded and began to leave the infirmary with Augus, leaving a somewhat worried _Recovery Girl_ and a stil indifferent looking bob haired girl to watch them leave.

By the time they were out of sight, _Recovery Girl_ gave a mild sigh before turning to regard the only other person in the room with a rather curious glint in her eyes.

"Yui Kodai, was it?" she asked, to which the bob haired girl nodded in response to. With a smile, the _Youthful Hero_ decided to ask her a question that had been egging her ever since Sen Kaibara had brought both herself and Yosetsu into her infirmary. "I would like to know how you and Yosetsu were injured. Just out of curiosity. Rest assured, I will not divulge this information to anyone, you have my promise."

Yui's simple response was to keep her gaze on _Recovery Girl_ for a moment to perhaps judge her sincerity, though she realized it was pointless, considering how sincere the elderly Hero appeared to be. So, with a sigh and a mild nod, the Size Changer told her everything she could recall…

Though she did pause ever so slightly when she vaguely heard Yosetsu request that he change out of his horrifically stuffy Cargo attire.

* * *

Yawning ever so slightly as he and Mikazuki entered the train that would bring the duo back to Niigata, Yosetsu found that he could just barely keep himself conscious as he and his _Chryse_ friend stood close to the doors of the train. Occasionally, Yosetsu would wobble ever so slightly, prompting Mika to jerk his arm forward and stabilize his Welder friend before he toppled over.

Over the course of the (roughly) half hour train trip, Yosetsu had nearly toppled over a total of seven times. Mikazuki did manage to stop him before he face planted, with several close calls. Everytime Yosetsu was saved from kissing the ground, he would give an apology to Mika, who would always respond with a nod.

"Sorry f-for all that," came yet another apology from Yosetsu as the train neared Niigata. Mika was ready to give a nod as he did the past thirty minutes, only to stop himself when Yosetsu continued speaking, prompting Augus to shut his mouth and raise a brow. "I… probably worried you when I didn't show up at the meeting spot…"

"It's fine," assured Mika as the train they were on came to a stop. As soon as the doors opened, Yosetsu and Mikazuki stepped out of it and began walking out of the station. Mikazuki himself intended to walk his Welder friend off to his house in case he were to pass out along the way, and Yosetsu himself didn't seem to mind. For a moment, they walked in silence, though Mika soon spoke up once more, his sudden voice making Awase jerk his head up with a yelp. "Since it's just you and me now, I want to know how you got injured."

Mikazuki's tone told Yosetsu that he wasn't willing to be lied to, and that gaze he was giving him flustered Awase ever so slightly as he twiddled his fingers against one another, doing his best to explain himself to Augus.

"Well… you see…" began Yosetsu, retelling most of what he remembered of the Entrance Exam via memory as they walked. Mika listened impassively, occasionally nodding or grunting to show that he was still listening, and by the time the Welder was done explaining everything that he remembered in regards to the Entrance Exam, they were very close to his HDB apartment. "...and then I woke up in _Recovery Girl's_ infirmary, where you came in not long after…"

Mika's response to that was yet another light nod as both he and Yosetsu stopped in front of the elevator up to the Welder's apartment block. After Yosetsu had tapped on the elevator button, and while they waited for it to get to ground level, Mika kept his gaze locked on Yosetsu, staring at him with a rather odd expression that made the Welder somewhat uncomfortable.

"Mika… is something u-up?" inquired Awase as he rubbed the back of his neck, though he got no response. He simply got a stare from Augus, one that was enough to make him shiver despite having seen it many times. However, much to his shock, his Tail's having friend's expression changed very quickly, his lips curving up into a smile as he closed his eyes and turned away from him. And now, he seemed… well, if anything… he seemed… _proud_?

"No, it's just that I'm glad that you're growing to be as strong as we knew you'd become," responded Mika as he gave his buddy a gentle punch to the chest. The punch didn't exactly have much force behind it, but it had enough to make Awase wince in mild pain as he held a hand up to his chest, much to Mikazuki's amusement.

"C-Come again?" muttered Yosetsu, rubbing his chest as he stared at his friend. His response was, surprisingly enough, an eye roll from Mika, who rephrased himself as the elevator reached the ground level.

"I'm proud of you, Yosetsu," rephrased Mika as the elevator doors opened. Yosetsu's response to that was to widen his eyes beyond belief as the Tail-boy turned on his heel and walked off, leaving the Welder with a, "good night, Yosetsu," as he did.

Yosetsu himself couldn't help but allow a massive, goofy grin to appear on his face as he entered the elevator. After tapping the sixth button of the elevator and leaning against its side, Yosetsu clenched a fist as he rested it against his chest, taking in a deep breath as he waited for the elevator to reach the sixth floor. It usually didn't take long, but his mind was so preoccupied with thoughts that raced through it that it seemed to stretch out for thrice its usual duration.

Mikazuki, proud of him? Well, now that was a surprise, but a welcome one for sure. It was usually the other way around, after all, and according to Orga, it took a lot to impress Mika, and in spite of that, Yosetsu, the little Welding loser who dreamed big, managed to impress Augus enough to make him _proud_ of him… well it made Awase smile widely as he cupped his cheeks in his hands, his heart racing as the doors of the elevator opened.

The boy wasted no time in exiting the elevator and entering his house. As soon as he locked his door, he immediately moved on and gave himself a quick shower and some dinner, his mind still fixated on the events of the day in spite of his growing exhaustion. His thoughts eventually grinded to a halt, however, when he saw the time.

' _8pm,'_ thought Yosetsu as he let out a burp, still a little stuffed from his dinner. It was honestly a little earlier than he expected, early enough to perhaps visit _Chryse_. If anything, he did consider it, though he dropped that thought when he realized how inconsiderate it would be to visit so abruptly and at such an awkward time.

Staring around his room, the boy found nothing that he could really do to entertain himself until he was tired enough to fall asleep. While the day's events did tire him, he did find himself still a little energetic. Currently, his mobile phone was a little low and required to be charged, and he didn't really wish to mess with any of his action figures, prompting him to sigh and take a seat on his bed. Leaning down, the Welder picked up a decently sized dumbbell, a gift from Akihiro last year, and began lifting it up and down with very little effort, still wondering what he should do to pass the time.

While he thought, the boy wrinkled his brow rather intensely, only to squeak in pain when his forehead flared up in pain, and that was when he remembered that he had that injury of his. Reaching up to his forehead, he removed his headband and placed it on his table before rubbing the bandage underneath. And at that point, only one real thought ran through his head.

' _Great, how am I gonna tell mum and dad about this…'_

* * *

The following week was rather uneventful, to say the least.

The first day that followed the end of the entrance exam was mildly interesting, what with Mika and Yosetsu both being given several odd looks from their fellow schoolmates. Augus himself paid them no mind, though the same couldn't be said for Yosetsu, who was unused to being stared at.

"It feels… weird," admitted Yosetsu during their first recess period since the initiation exam, doing his best to ignoring the stares he and Mika were getting from the table behind them as he spoke. His voice made Mika turn up from his small bag of raisins and stare at his Welder friend for a moment, keeping his gaze neutral as his pal continued. "People staring at us like that… without that weird look in their eyes…"

"Things change," was his immediate response from Augus, who popped a raisin into his mouth as he spoke, not bothering to pause as he chewed. "Just like you did."

"I… suppose so," replied Yosetsu with a smile, not noticing the fact that his stuttering was mostly gone by now. He also failed to notice that Kio was standing not too far from the two, a grimace on his face as he glared at the duo, though he swiftly moved on when Mika noticed him keeping his gaze on Yosetsu, prompting him to turn towards him in order to give him a glare of his own. Awase himself noticed that, prompting him to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Is… something wrong, Mika?"

"Nothing too important. Just saw someone who's changed as well," was his answer from Mika, accompanied by a shrug as he popped a raisin into his mouth. That response confused Yosetsu to a certain extent, though he didn't push the matter any further as he continued biting into his sandwich.

"Alright..."

From that day on, the week seemed to dull rather immensely. The only noticeable difference was that Kio himself seemed to be trying his hardest to keep his distance from Yosetsu, something that did make the Welder feel on edge a tad, though he didn't really mind it. Mika held no opinion on the matter.

Aside from that one oddity, classes continued as per usual, with Yosetsu paying attention as best he could and Mika doing almost the complete opposite, usually only focusing from time to time. The duo did get a handful of stares from time to time, though they were less frequent. A small handful of students did approach them, wishing to interrogate them for some answers regarding the Entrance Exam, but seeing as the duo didn't really have much to say about it, they were usually left with rather dull answers.

Yosetsu's after school routines were largely the same as well, with him visiting _Chryse_ on a daily basis to visit his friends and to work out in order to keep his cardio up. The orphans didn't mind his appearances at their orphanage, even if they did suggest he take the week off for some rest, something _Recovery Girl_ did suggest after releasing Yosetsu from her infamary. Awase himself had either forgot about that or chose to ignore it, as he refused to slow down on his physical training, and whenever his friends suggested he take a break, his answer to that was a resounding _"I'd rather keep in shape…"._ That response, frankly speaking, surprised none of the orphans.

Essentially, Yosetsu's life after the conclusion of the Practical portion of the Entrance Exam remained mostly the same. The boy hasn't changed one bit despite the rather harsh environment he was placed in during that exam, and if they were honest, both the residents of the _Chryse Orphanage_ and Yosetsu's parents themselves were fine with it.

And it all only really got real interesting when, on Sunday, roughly a week or so after the Practical Exam, when a rather familiar looking UA Postman arrived at the front of Yosetsu's house.

* * *

It more or less began with a knock on the door, one that Takumi Awase had answered. At the moment, only he was freely available to answer the door, with Yuuko trying to find something she had lost in the kitchen while Yosetsu was finishing up on a pair project he had, with Mika being the one he was paired up with, to no one's surprise. After a quick breather, Takumi opened the door a smidge, allowing only a portion of his face to be visible, though he quite visibly widened his eyes ever so slightly when he saw the postman standing before him.

"I take it that you are Takumi Awase?" inquired the postman with a rather devious smirk as he held an envelope up in the air in between his index and middle fingers. The man in question gave a nod as he opened the door fully, and it was then when he noticed the rather fancy seal on the letter, marked with the initials; _UA_ , and as soon as he took note of it, he immediately froze.

"Dear, who's at the door?" came Yuuko's voice from inside the kitchen as she poked her head out, with Yosetsu doing the same from his room. The postman snickered ever so slightly at that as he passed the letter to Takumi, who accepted it with a shaky hand, not even noticing that it felt heavier than a typical letter he would recieve.

"T-Thank you… mister…" thanked Takumi with a nod as the postman tipped his hat and moved on with his job. Quickly shutting the door, Takumi turned on his heel and saw that Yuuko and Yosetsu had both moved to stand behind him, both of them looking terribly confused as to why he was smirking as widely as he currently was. However, before they could ask, Takumi turned to his son and held the envelope up in the air, giving his son the proudest stare and smile combo he could muster.

"D-Dad… what is…" began Yosetsu, only to trail off when he saw the seal on the envelope. Shocked beyond belief, Awase had to shake his head and rub the bridge of his nose to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, and sure enough, he wasn't. Once he was sure of it, he stared at the envelope for roughly ten seconds before Yuuko smirked widely and spoke up.

"Go open it in your room, dear. This is something we shouldn't bother you with," suggested Yuuko, and almost immediately, Yosetsu nodded and took the envelope from his father. After staring at it for a handful of seconds, the Welder immediately bolted into his room. In his haste, he failed to notice his parents both following and peeking into his room, both wishing to know about his results as well, with his father feeling on edge while his mother was worried for her son, though if he were honest, he wouldn't had mind.

As soon as he was on his chair, Yosetsu rolled towards his table and began to carefully open the letter. The wax _UA_ seal was something he wished to keep as a memorial sort of thing, so he made sure he placed it in a safe spot, and once that was done, the boy shakily pulled out what felt like a small bracelet of sorts.

Lifting it up to eye level, Yosetsu raised an eyebrow at the innocent looking object, wondering what it was exactly. The boy had done his research, and in his countless hours of doing so, he had never seen any form of information relating to a bracelet-like object before. Curious, began prodding it multiple times, though on his third prod, the top of the 'bracelet' began lighting up, prompting Awase to gasp as he accidentally dropped the 'bracelet' and jerked his body back ever so slightly, in turn causing his chair to roll back just a little.

The 'bracelet', thankfully enough, landed on Yosetsu's table, and it was then when the Welder realized that the 'bracelet' was, in fact, a rather fancy projector. Almost immediately, the top of the thing created a rather large projection. The person who was in the projection was familiar to Yosetsu, being none other than Principal Nezu in all his usual, rat wearing a suit glory.

" _Greetings, Yosetsu Awase!"_ greeted Principal Nezu via the projection. The rodent's voice fit his appearance rather well, and Awase, in spite of his respect for the man/Quirk owning animal, was required to do his best to hold back a snicker. _"Now you may be wondering: why am I addressing you directly… and why I sent this fancy projector thingy to you and not a written document, yes? I'm correct, am I not?"_

Yosetsu silently answered yes to that as the principal continued.

 _"Well I am unable to hear you, so I shall pretend that you said 'yes' and answer your possible question. You, Yosetsu Awase, am among the top ten students in your region! And those with such a distinction tend to get these projection disk thingies. A weird way to use our taxes… but I can't really complain! It's a lot cooler after all!"_

As soon as he heard those words, Yosetsu's mind shut itself off, and Nezu had apparently paused deliberately in order to allow for him to process that information. Behind him, Takumi felt his jaw strike the ground beneath him while Yuuko widened her eyes beyond belief, though their attentions were redirected back to the projection as Nezu continued speaking.

" _Now, when I say that you are among the top ten, I specifically meant the top ten in Battle Site D,"_ explained Nezu, holding up a paw as he spoke. Right as he ended his sentence, a still image that showed the top 10 scorers of Battle site D popped up on the projection, and Yosetsu scanned it swiftly, with his parents squinting immensely in order to read it as well.

At the very top of the list was, unsurprisingly, Yui Kodai, with 103 Villain points and 12 Rescue points. Yosetsu did not recognise most of the others on the list, but he did notice a familiar mugshot that belonged to a _Sen Kaibara_ , who was at eighth place with 42 Villain points and 39 Rescue Points.

However, Yosetsu swiftly snapped his eyes down to the ninth spot as soon as he saw his name occupying that space. And the boy's jaw dropped down and struck his ground in shock when he read his own score. 32 Villain points in total… and 60 Rescue points.

" _While your Villain points are nothing to write home about, your Rescue Points are beyond impressive. Overall, if you include the written segment of your initiation exam, you came in at number 37 in all of Japan! You have scored more than enough to enter_ UA _! Be proud, young Yosetsu, as, in the coming year, you shall be a part of Class 1B!"_

And in spite of himself wishing to put up a serious face, Yosetsu couldn't help but give a massive, goofy smile as tears of joy began pouring down his face. Before they reached his chin, however, the Welder wiped them away with his wrist. No crying… not today, on such a momentous occasion. Of course, no such rule applied to his parents, as his father was quite literally bawling out of sheer joy as his mother attempted to comfort him.

" _And do not forget, Yosetsu Awase! At the end of the day, the Quirk does not define a Hero!"_ added the projection of Nezu as he clenched a paw. _"The heart and soul is truly what makes a Hero who they are! Keep those words in mind, my future student. And never forget! Go beyond,_ _ **Plus Ultra**_ _!"_

And right as those words were uttered, the projection shut itself off, leaving an awestruck Yosetsu to stare at it, his eyes still widened beyond belief as he stood up. Turning on his heel, the boy saw that his parents were both staring at him proudly. And, without even a second thought, Awase ran towards them and smothered the two of them in a massive hug.

Both Takumi and Yuuko were laughing by now, with the former still shedding tears of joy while the latter kept congratulating her child on his accomplishments. Yosetsu simply held them tight, thanking them for their support through his entire life as he did.

After their hug was over, Yosetsu almost immediately remembered that they were not the only ones he needed to thank. His parents seemed to realize that as well, as they gave him permission to visit the _Chryse Orphanage_ before he had even asked them. The boy smiled immensely when they did and quickly got himself changed into his typical outdoor attire, and before he left, the boy gave both his parents a strong hug that reminded them of his impressive strength.

* * *

Sprinting tirelessly down the side of the street, Yosetsu evaded multiple residents of the _Niigata Prefecture_ as he focused all his attention on reaching the _Chryse Orphanage_. It took him a few minutes, but he got there.

And he was surprised to find that Merribit herself was standing by the door, almost as though she was expecting him to be there at that exact moment. Upon noticing her, Yosetsu picked up his pace, only to come to a stop when he was in front of her.

"Yosetsu~" greeted Merribit with a smile, her tone telling him that she was in a good mood. Yosetsu himself thought that it was nice that she seemed happy, though her tone gave him a mild shiver up his spine. "I've been expecting you!"

"Really? W-What's the occasion?" inquired Yosetsu, though it was a rather redundant question as he had a feeling that he already knew what the reason was. Merribit seemed to note that it was a redundant question as well, as she ushered him into the orphanage.

"You'll see~"

As soon as he stepped in, Yosetsu saw that the entire _Chryse Orphanage_ , plus Atra, were crowded around something/someone. Turning up to stare at Merribit, Yosetsu simply gave her a stare that asked _"Is that what I think it is…?"_. His response was for the blonde woman to very gentle push him forward towards the group, causing him to give a mild exhale as he stepped forward.

The soft gasp Yosetsu gave when he was pushed forward made Eugene's ears perk up. Whirling around, the ginger smirked as soon as his eyes fell upon his Welder pal, with Yamagi and Takaki doing the same not long after.

"Everyone, Yosetsu's here!" announced Takaki with a smirk as Eugene stood up and approached the boy in question. Rather gently, he pulled his Welding friend into their small crowd, all of whom were crowding around Mikazuki, sitting on the couch in between Atra and Orga, holding up a circular disk of his own.

"Good to see that you could join us!" greeted Ride, moving over to Yosetsu's side and giving him a friendly punch on the shoulder, prompting the Welder to wince ever so slightly.

"Yeah! Wouldn't be much of a celebration without you!" added Shino, slinging an arm around the boy's shoulders as he spoke. His tone told Yosetsu that he was in a good mood, though frankly speaking, everyone present at the moment seemed to be in a terribly good mood as well.

"Celebration… does that mean…?" began Yosetsu as Mika blank.

"I passed the test," explained Mika, simple and straight to the point. He said it almost as though it were not important, but Awase noted a mild undercurrent of happiness in the boy's tone, enough to tell the Welder that his friend was at least a little happy. "What about you?"

"I-I passed too!" replied Yosetsu, smirking proudly as he gave a double thumbs up. Beside him, Akihiro placed a hand on his shoulder while Takaki gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"Well there's no surprise there!" exclaimed Ride, closing his eyes as he smirked immensely. "You trained your ass off just for this one day. Two whole years, Yosetsu! Two whole years of blood, sweat and tears jus for this one moment! You really fucking deserve this!"

"Y-Yeah... but it was thanks to you guys that I even managed to get this far..." admitted Yosetsu, not noticing how Merribit was quickly approaching Ride. "Without your encouragement and moral support... I wouldn't even be a step closer to being a Hero. If anything... I'd probably still be a Welding loser..."

"Gah, don't be so negative, kiddo!" scolded Eugene, waving a hand in the air as he spoke. "You would've been fine even without us!"

"Y-Yeah... but-" began Yosetsu, a retort having already been formed in his mind. Before he could unleash it, however, a loud yelp could be heard, prompting everyone to turn over and see that Merribit was now standing right beside Ride, two of her fingers pinching the boy's cheek tightly as punishment for his vulgar language. Mass apologised in between his yelps of pain, something that made a handful of the orphans snicker. Yosetsu found himself distracted by the whole ordeal, and Akihiro took advantage of this by clearing his throat, swiftly changing to topic to keep the mood from going sour.

"So, how did you rank in the exam?" inquired Akihiro, sounding somewhat curious as he spoke. Yosetsu promptly answered truthfully, almost immediately forgetting about his prior outburst, and his answer did surprise the orphans rather immensely, all except Mika, who simply nodded. As confirmation, every orphan, minus Mika who trusted Yosetsu a little too much by now, turned to Yamagi, who had already activated his Quirk by then.

In truth, he was expecting Yosetsu to have been lying. Despite a lot of evidence to the contrary, Yamagi knew that no one was truly 100% truthful, and Yosetsu was no exception to this rule. he was strong, yes, but even he couldn't have gotten as high as he claimed... or so he thought. As soon as he raided his mind, however, Yamagi couldn't help but widen his eyes as he gave a respectful nod.

"Dang… 37," muttered Yamagi as soon as he confirmed that Yosetsu was telling the truth, smiling rather proudly as he gave his friend a gentle punch to his back, ignoring the amazed looks both he and the Welder recieved as he did. "Not bad."

"NOT BAD?!" proclaimed Shino, smirking as Eugene and Takaki stepped away from him, rather clearly taken aback at the boy's sudden outburst. Yamagi, on the other hand, did not react to it as he simply turned to Shino with a raised brow. "YAMAGI MY BOY, THAT'S FUCKING OFF THE WALLS AWESOME!"

"He's not wrong," added Merribit as she moved beside Shino and pinched his cheek hard. The boy in question began squealing in pain as Merribit punished him for his bad language. "You've grown so much, Yosetsu Awase. Your parents must be proud. And, if it means anything, I myself and everyone present is as well."

"T-Thanks…" was all Yosetsu could say as he looked down at his own two feet, tapping his index fingers together. His face was visibly flushed at that point, and Awase knew that thanks to the unnaturally warm sensation he felt in his cheeks. Concerned, Atra walked over to him and placed her palm over his forehead, much to his embarrassment as he stepped back. "D-Don't worry, I'm not sick…!"

"Oh!" squeaked Atra, smiling as she held Yosetsu's hand in hers, much to the boy's embarrassment. "Well, I still need to congratulate you somehow! But… I just don't know how…"

"N-No need for any congratulations!" assured Yosetsu with a sheepish smile and a more intense smile on his face. "But… e-enough about me… I'd like to hear about how Mika did…"

"Well… how do I put this…" was all Orga could say as he rubbed his chin smugly. "It's not exactly Class 1A impressive… _but_ …"

* * *

 **The next day**

With a rather nervous expression, both Yosetsu and Mika stood themselves upright as their principal addressed the two of them, looking to be somewhere in between proud and baffled as he did, perhaps leaning more towards the former.

Several minutes prior, both the Welder and the Tail-boy were called into the principal's office to be addressed by the big man himself. At first, their entire class thought that they had gotten into trouble, but they soon remembered that the two had partaken in the _UA entrance exam_ , and as soon as that thought went through their minds, all they could do was stare at the unlikely duo as they made their way towards the office, muttering between themselves as the two left the class.

"Now, I must say…" began the principal of _Bandai High_ , a polite young man known as _Tatsuya Yukki_ , or more commonly known as _Maijin Kawaguchi_ by everyone as he thought it sounded cooler so he made everyone call him that. The man spoke with a voice filled with mostly pride as his eyes darted between Mikazuki and Yosetsu from behind his unnecessary visor, the former looking passively indifferent while the latter seeming horribly tense. "I am pleasantly surprised that the two of you have scored high enough to enter _UA_."

"T-Thank you sir," thanked Yosetsu with a smile as he bowed his head. Mika kept his expression neutral as he nodded.

"You are most welcome! Frankly speaking, it came as a shock to me when you two in particular were chosen. But surprises do happen, and not everyone is as they seem," responded Meijin, smiling as he gave Mika a sideways glance. The _Chryse_ boy simply nodded in response to that. "However, I must warn you. I've heard that these Hero courses are a lot more… intense than your regular programs in school. Prepare yourselves, am I understood?"

"Yes sir!" exclaimed Yosetsu, standing up straighter as he spoke. Mika, rather surprisingly to the principal, flinched mildly at that, though he himself nodded in response as well, prompting the Meijin to smile.

"Excellent, now you two shall be entering _UA_ this following year! While this is truly an exciting moment for both of you, do not think that this is a chance to slack off during classes!" warned Kawaguchi, his eyes shining under that fancy visor he was wearing. Yosetsu shivered at that while Mika held no reaction. Thankfully for the Welder, however, their principal's gaze softened after a second as he continued speaking. "But still, be happy! And I do not know when will be the next time I speak with the two of you, if I even get the chance to do so, so don't forget…"

And the principal quite literally leapt out of his seat as he shot his fist up into the sky, an action that made Yosetsu step back while Mika raised a brow up.

"Go beyond, both of you! **PLUS ULTRA**!"

And at that, both Mika and Yosetsu were dismissed back to their classes, with the latter feeling a little shell shocked at the Meijin's sudden burst of childishness while the former stayed passively neutral.

"Hey… Mika?" piped up Yosetsu as they headed back to their classroom. The boy in question stared at his friend with a passive gaze as he raised a brow, prompting him to continue. "Thanks… for, y'know, sticking with me through these past few years. I know it's a little unfair to just thank you and not everyone else… but without you…"

"I know," cut off Mika as he placed a hand on Yosetsu's shoulder. Looking down at him, Awase raised his brows when he saw the edges of his shorter friend's mouth inch up ever so slightly as he spoke. "But you only came this far thanks to your unbreakable will. While me and the others did play a part in you becoming who you are today, you're the one who deserves the most praise for never giving up."

"I…" began Yosetsu, rubbing the back of his neck as he felt his cheeks redden a tad. He had no suitable reply to Mika, prompting him to give out a sigh as he nodded. "I guess you're right… but it doesn't mean I can't thank you."

"Then your welcome," came Mika's simply reply to Awase, prompting the boy to chuckle as he and Mikazuki entered their classroom.

And this, in Yosetsu's mind, was a brilliant first step towards his goal of becoming a Hero.

* * *

 ***strums the guitar***

 **I actually dunno how to play this…**

 **Anyhow, welcome to the chapter that finally concludes the build up to the canon portion of the story. That's right, as of this one chapter, we will be delving into the proper episodes of BNHA… at last. God, it took some time, eh? The chapter itself is shorter than what I usually write and lacks any action… but it's more of a breather for the previous chapter anyhow. I hope you don't mind.**

 **Now, I don't have much else to say at the moment as anything I say could spoil the future chapters… but I will say thanks for the shocking amount of support you beautiful people have been giving me. It's a little cliche to say this, but it does make me feel nice whenever a review is posted. Makes me feel warm and snuggly.**

 **Now I'll just head onto the reviews before I start rambling.**

* * *

 **coldblue2015: you really are an observant dude! And as for your questions, I** _ **do**_ **have planned ships for Mika *wink*, and Mika himself will most likely not react to Neito while Yosetsu ends up confused by him. An Ojiro vs Mika situation is bound to happen, and Itsuka training Mika is a possibility. As for that last question, you'll have to wait and see. And I will take those suggestions into account in the future *another wink***

 **Neededsomething: thanks for pointing em out! I did change em. And as for the question regarding Mika… *wink***

 **Mordalfus Grea: why thank you**

 **Guest: well that makes me smile. And as for the ship, refer to my reply to coldblue2015**

* * *

 **Anyhow I really need to head off. College exists and all that so see ya-**

* * *

 **Extras**

 **Tokyo**

"Class 1B, hm?" quipt Sen as he adjusted the lens of his camera, rotating it until it locked into place. Beside him, his younger sister began racing around him, seeming a lot more excited than Sen himself was at the news. Turning towards her, Kaibara allowed himself to give a small smirk as he patted her on the head. "Yeah, yeah, it's good news. Just try to not wake mum and dad, they're tired from work."

With a firm nod, the boy's younger sister headed off, smiling happily as Sen held the small, circular disk that had been sent to him in his hand and his camera in the other. And in spite of his usually stoic self, the boy allowed a rather large smirk to form on his face as he held the circular disk tightly in his hand.

 _'Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.'_

* * *

 **Shimane Prefecture**

Breathing in heavily as she leaned back on her chair, Yui stared at the circular disk she had in her hand. She felt happy, yes, but she didn't know how to express it as she simply stared at the thing.

For a moment, she kept her gaze on the small holographic projector, feeling happy towards UA for accepting someone as brutish as herself into the Hero course. However, she did feel her thoughts trailing off towards that one boy she met during the Entrance exam.

Just who was he? Yui remembered his name as Yosetsu Awase, a piece of information given to her by Recovery Girl, and his general appearance, spiked up hair held in place with a headband, wearing the typical engineer outfit. Wasn't he the kid she gave the thumbs up to on multiple occasions during the entrance exam? She supposed he was.

Either way, according to Recovery Girl, this 'Yosetsu' kid had risked quite a bit to save her during the entrance exam. If that were the case, she supposed that Awase deserved at least a 'thank you' from her. Though she silently wondered if she would ever get the chance to do so.

For now, she simply sighed and placed the circular disk she had onto her desk and turned to face her collection of matryoshka dolls. They were such simple little objects, fitting for a simple young woman like Yui.


	7. New faces

He shouldn't be this nervous, right?

Time and time again, he had been reminded that he deserved this. After working his butt off alongside the _Chryse_ orphans, building up muscle mass alongside them, and, even going so far as to doing what most considered impossible, befriending them, Yosetsu still couldn't wrap his head around the simple fact that he had done it.

For the final few months of the previous year, Yosetsu had mentally prepared himself for this one day, and his friends and family all pitched in as well. He was constantly told that he worked for this and that he deserved it, though Yosetsu himself sometimes wondered if that were true. He often wondered if others were more deserving of a spot in Class 1B of _UA_.

And it was safe to say that was the reason as to why his knees felt like buckling beneath him as both he and Mikazuki stood before the main _UA_ school building, both looking rather 'dapper', as Ride had called them, in their matching _UA_ uniforms, though Mika's was rather noticeably a little too large for his small frame.

"It feels as though I'm dreaming, honestly," muttered Yosetsu jokingly as he turned towards Mikazuki, a sheepish look on his face as he spoke. Mika responded by shrugging at his friend, who took it as a sign to carry on. "Back before I met all of you, getting to where I am now felt so… impossible. But now… I'm here, and it's…"

"Thanks to your hard work," finished Mika, turning up to his friend, who appeared rather sheepish as he scratched his chin. "You worked for this. So stop being nervous and enter the school already."

And it was at that point when Yosetsu realized that, in his nervous state, he had yet to even step past the front gates of _UA_. As soon as he realized this, the Welder gave a sheepish chuckle as he apologised and stepped in, with Mikazuki following him immediately after.

While they entered, however, the two of them failed to notice a rustling bush not too far from the gates to _UA_. As soon as they entered the gates, the familiar faces of Norba Shino, Ride Mass and Orga Itsuka popped out of the bush, with Shino holding onto a pair of binoculars Takaki had constructed several years ago while Ride began scribbling into a notebook.

"So, _Watson_ ," began Shino, putting on his best detective accent as he addressed Ride. "What do you think their first day of school will be like?"

"No clue, _Holmes_ ," responded Ride, his accent somehow weaker than Shino's, prompting Orga to snicker ever so slightly. "But it shouldn't be _too_ bad. What do _you_ make of it, though?"

"Elementary, my dear Watson!" proclaimed Shino as he wrapped his arm around Ride's neck and gave him a noogie. "They'll be fine!"

And as this all happened, Orga simply chuckled before turning to see that both Mika and Yosetsu had already entered the school, accompanied by several hundred more students. Right before they entered, Itsuka gave a two fingered salute to his friend, though he was sure that Mika couldn't see it.

' _Good luck, Mika.'_

* * *

"So… this is Class 1B…"

"You don't say."

Those were the only real words that were exchanged between Yosetsu and Mika when they found themselves standing before a massive sliding door that had the names 1B plastered onto it. The door was at least three times taller than Yosetsu, and the Welder suspected that if it were to fall onto him, he probably wouldn't survive.

"What are you waiting for?" came Mika's voice, snapping his friend out of his mild trance as he turned to stare at the shorter boy, who looked at him expectantly. "Open it."

"O-Oh… right, sorry about that," apologised Yosetsu sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I just… got caught up in some thoughts."

"It's fine. You deserve this," assured Mika with a small nod. Yosetsu found himself smiling ever so slightly at that, though before long, the somewhat pleasant atmosphere was crushed when he added: "but please, open the door already."

Chuckling awkwardly at that, Yosetsu did as his friend had instructed and slid the door open…

And the two were mildly surprised at how little people were present.

At best, only half the class, including the two of them, were present. Noteworthy students included some green haired young lady, a mildly familiar (to Mika) pale grey haired girl and a guy with a manga speech bubble for a head. A young man with fur on his forearms and a rather intimidating set of canines sent a chill up Yosetsu's spine, and the guy with a glue dispenser-esc head was also a little unnerving to him.

Still, the two didn't waste much time in walking into the classroom and moving towards their designated seats. Rather unfortunately for Yosetsu's still nervous self, Mika sat somewhere at the back of the classroom while he occupied a seat somewhere in the middle. Awase was rather justifiably reluctant to leave Mika's side, though a reassuring squeeze of his shoulder and a mild nod of the head from Augus was enough to calm Yosetsu down ever so slightly as he moved to take his seat.

Within a handful of seconds, Yosetsu had made his way towards his designated seat. Without missing a single beat, Awase removed his bag off his back and placed it beside his table before sitting down. As soon as his rear met the face of the chair, however, Awase noticed that the table behind him was already occupied.

Whoever was sitting behind him currently had their head lowered down, perhaps staring at something below their desk. Yosetsu reckoned that it was their phone, though he wasn't willing to make assumptions so quickly. Part of him wanted to just ignore them and spend the next few minutes steeling himself for the coming year… though on the other hand…

' _First impressions are always important…'_ thought the Welder as he took in a large intake of air. As soon as he released it, he turned to face the person who sat behind him and attempted to smile. For the most part, the smile was successful, even if it was a little shaky.

"H-Hey there," greeted Yosetsu, doing his utmost best to keep his voice stable. Already, he could tell that the person who sat behind him was a girl, and when he had turned to greet her, she had lifted her head up to acknowledge him. His general nervousness stopped Yosetsu from noticing who he was talking to exactly, as he continued speaking for a bit. "I… I guess I'm your new classmate and all that… name's…"

"Yosetsu Awase…" finished the girl he was speaking to rather abruptly, prompting the Welder to widen his eyes in shock as soon as he processed that one bit of information.

"H-How…" began Yosetsu as soon as he partially regained his marbles, only to lose them once more when he finally realized who he was speaking to. She looked just as he remembered her, with her bobbed hair and light blue eyes, eyes reminded him a lot of Mika's pair, boring straight through Yosetsu's pair of light greys, with the only real difference being that she was no longer injured and dressed in the usual _UA_ uniform. By now, Yosetsu could at least recognise her by face, and by some miracle, he remembered _Recovery Girl_ tell him her name several months back when he was in her infirmary. " _Yui K-Kodai_ …?"

If anything, Yui appeared at least a little surprised at Yosetsu's presence as well, as her eyes did widen a little and her mouth opened up ever so slightly. However, that small show of shock was quickly erased off her face as she gave a nod. Quietly, she leaned down and placed whatever she was holding in her hands onto the ground and rested her hands on her table, her personal way of showing that she was willing to talk. As for Yosetsu, however, all his calmness had been shot straight out of his body, and had probably reached the atmosphere at this point, as soon as he realized that he was sitting in front of a girl he had saved nearly a quarter of a year ago, so much so that he could only stare at Yui with a mildly red face and a slacked jaw.

"Are you alright?" inquired Yui after an uncomfortable amount of silence. Yosetsu's response was to jerk his head back ever so slightly, with his eyes widened immensely, and vigorously shake his head from side to side, an unintentional "no" in response to Yui's question. To her credit, Yui did raise her eyebrows in a show of mild worry for her classmate as she responded. "If you feel sick you should go see _Recovery Girl_."

"W-Wait! I-I-I'm fine! Trust me…!" proclaimed Yosetsu as he waved his arms around in a rather comedic fashion, with his voice perhaps a little louder than necessary as everyone present in class turned towards him and Yui and fixed their gazes on them. Even Mika took the liberty of looking ahead at the two, appearing rather interested in what was going on between the two, so much so that he wasn't willing to intervene. Crumbling rather intensely under all the attention he was getting, Yosetsu tapped his fingers together nervously and responded in a hushed tone. "I-I… just d-d-didn't expect to see you here… y-y'know?"

"I did not expect to see you here as well," agreed Yui, sounding unphased by all the attention they had just received, once more reminding Yosetsu of Mikazuki, though the Welder shook that thought out of his head as he fell silent for a moment out of embarrassment, his mind already telling him that the people around him were already making some rather unsavoury comments in regards to him and Yui. In an effort to block that thought, Yosetsu shot his head up, a gesture that made Yui flinch ever so slightly, and blurted out his next question.

"Y-Yeah… how are you…?" blurted out the Welder, only for his face to begin glowing red once more as he realized how embarrassing that question sounded. Yui didn't seem to notice it, however, as she simply watched in amusement as Yosetsu waved his arms around in a rather dramatic fashion once, his brain doing its best to calm him down. "I-I mean… as in… a-a-are you still injured…"

"I am not," answered Yui as several more of their classmates came in. Yosetsu himself didn't notice that one fact, nor did he notice a green haired lady young sneaking up on him as Kodai continued on speaking. " _Recovery Girl_ told me that I could have been paralzyed from the waist down if you had not helped me."

"I…" began Yosetsu, who found himself slowly becoming speechless as he let what Yui said sink in. While it did, Awase felt his face heat up as he fumbled over nearly all of his words, up to the point where he was speaking literal gibberish. As usual, Yui didn't seem to take notice as she patiently stared at Yosetsu, who slowly calmed himself down and placed a hand over his mouth in an attempt to cover his horribly red cheeks. "I… s-see…"

Opening her mouth, Yui was about to carry on as soon as she saw that Yosetsu had calmed down enough to process her words. However, before she could do so, a pair of small-ish hands slammed down atop Yosetsu's shoulders, their sudden appearance causing Awase to yelp and jerk his body upwards in shock.

"Wassup!" greeted a new voice as the hands removed themselves from Yosetsu's shoulders, allowing the Welder to turn and stare at whoever startled him. The culprit was a rather friendly looking young woman who stood roughly a head shorter than him, with dark green hair and eyes that radiated childish glee. She had a massive smirk plastered on her face as she rested her knuckles against her hips, staring at Yosetsu, expecting an equally combastic response from the Welder.

"Uh… erm… h-hey…?" greeted Yosetsu, turning to stare at the newcomer as Yui watched the entire exchange with mild interest. The new girl was visibly disappointed by Yosetsu's lackluster greeting, though she didn't dwell on it too much as she continued.

"Whaddya talkin bout, hmm?" inquired the girl, only for Yosetsu to turn red once more as he turned away from her, his face lighting up like a christmas tree, while Yui shot the newcomer a mildly annoyed glance. Noticing that she hit a rather awkward cord, the newcomer cleared her throat and went in a different direction. "Know what, I just realized that's a strange question for me, a complete stranger, to ask right off the bat, so lemme just wind this back up and start with a simple question."

And, after inhaling and exhaling dramatically, the new girl slammed her hand straight down onto Yosetsu's tabletop, a gesture that was apparently meant to make her look cool, though it ended up scaring Awase a little, and continued speaking.

"Name's _Setsuna Tokage_! I'm from the _Saitama Prefecture_ , formerly part of _Warabi High School_ and a recommended student!" introduced the young lady, apparently named Setsuna, as she gave a thumbs up. Yosetsu took some time to process all that information, though all he could remember before Setsuna continued her speech was her name. "Anyways, enough about me! What about you? You got a name? Where are you from? What school did you go to? You got any friends? If no, then I can be your friend! And what's your relationship with that girl? Seems like a-"

"Stop pestering Yosetsu, Setsuna," cut in Yui out of nowhere as smoke began coming out of the boy in question's ears in a rather comedic manner. Quite a handful of people were staring at the trio by now, curious as to what they were speaking of, though Yosetsu, for perhaps the first time in his life, found himself not caring as the information overload, courtesy of Setsuna, had jammed his brain up to the point where he could be compared to a zombie.

And Setsuna didn't seem to notice as she continued on, rubbing her cheek as she stared at both Yui and Yosetsu.

"Yosetsu's his name, hm?" muttered Setsuna, intrigued as she stared at Awase, who still remained 'zombified' as she continued. "It's a nice name… what about you?"

"Yui, Yui Kodai," introduced Yui, not bothering to draw out her introductions, something that Setsuna seemed incapable of doing.

"Short, sweet and simple! I dig it!" responded Setsuna as she slapped a hand onto Yosetsu's shoulder, a gesture that jump started his brain, as evident by how he nearly fell off the chair he was on as soon as Setsuna's hand made contact with his shoulder.

"EH?!" exclaimed Yosetsu as he repositioned himself on his chair, his loud yelp causing several classmates to turn towards his general direction once more. And after he calmed down ever so slightly, he noticed that and began fidgeting in his seat, his face turning a dark shade of red once more. "Y-Y-Yes… Setsuna…?"

"Erm… not much," responded Setsuna, her voice attempting to sound worried, though she did look as though she was trying to suppress a snicker or two. And what followed were a few minutes of awkward silence as Setsuna stared between Yui and Yosetsu. The former appeared rather disinterested in the whole conversation, though the latter seemed willing to continue it in spite of the embarrassment he was currently experiencing.

And, with Setsuna being Setsuna, she thought of the _best_ way to continue the conversation, as indicated by the smirk that formed on her face.

"So… are the two of you _a thing_?"

And it took both Yosetsu and Yui just a handful of seconds to process that…

* * *

Mika _could_ help his friend, that much was obvious… but for once in his life, he didn't feel like doing so.

He wasn't exactly the best when it came to examining situations. If anything, if considered himself to be rather terrible at it. His horrible social skills didn't exactly help that fact.

However, even so… even in spite of his genuinely terrible 'reading the mood' skills, Mika could tell that Yosetsu wasn't exactly in a bad spot at the moment. If anything, the boy thought that his Welding friend was actually _enjoying_ his current conversation with Yui and Setsuna.

Granted, Yosetsu was currently waving his arms around in front of Setsuna as he attempted to explain to her that their relationship was nothing above simple acquaintances, all while Yui stayed silent, though she was noticeably irritated by Setsuna's question, though even so, Awase didn't seem to hate the whole ordeal, something that made Augus smile internally.

That internal smile faded after some time, however, when Mika just barely heard a small voice muttering to his left, sounding rather agitated. Blinking at that, Augus turned his head towards whoever was speaking, only to spot a small group of five, all of whom were sitting/standing by a single table, staring at him with agitated expressions.

The five who were eyeing him all stopped speaking as soon as he turned towards them. Scared into silence, perhaps? Mika doubted that as he hadn't done anything to warrant such a reaction, prompting him to raise an eyebrow at the four, an act that made one of them wince.

The most noteworthy of the five was that boy with silver hair and eyes that were tilted pretty far back into his skull. The other four included a brown haired young lady with hair that largely resembled a mushroom, a young man who looked like a 'Titan' from that one show Ride, Yamagi and Takaki watch from time to time, a short, chubby guy with light blue hair and… a mildly familiar pale grey haired young lady who was standing by the desk the other four were sharing.

For a moment, Mikazuki simply stared at the group of five with confusion. The five also stared at him, seemingly unable to take their eyes off him…

* * *

If they were honest, they didn't know what they should do exactly.

It had all began with a simple game of marbles, played among a group of newly formed friends. A simple game that existed before the whole Quirk phenomenon even happened… one that could bring together the new group of friends.

Then it happened, _Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu_ had hit his marble a little too far out, causing it to roll straight off their shared table and towards a table occupied by a fellow classmate with black hair and a crescent ahoge. After a sheepish apology, Tetsutetsu was about to head off to pick his marble up… only for the ahoge boy to turn and fix his gaze upon them all.

As soon as he had turned to acknowledge them, four of the five who were at the table froze. Something about that gaze… it made them feel… unnerved. Perhaps it was how _empty_ the boy's expression appeared to be, how he almost seemed _angry_ at the five of them for no apparent reason, almost as though he were a villain eyeing his next target.

Almost instantly, a dark aura that screamed _**MENACING**_ began to surround the boy as most of his features began to be covered by shadows, giving him a truly demonic appearance, so much so that none of them were willing to even _try_ and approach him and retrieve their lost marble. The dark aura also stopped them from noticing the visible question marks that hung above the boy's head.

And finally… he turned away from them, and as soon as eye contact was broken, the dark aura subsided, allowing four of the five to finally breathe out sighs of relief.

"That wasn't just me who saw that dark aura… right?" inquired the boy who looked much like a certain Jaeger in Titan form.

"Yeah, it wasn't just you, _Juzo_ ," responded Tetsutetsu, placing a hand on the side of his face as he spoke. The 'Titan', _Juzo Honenuki_ simply nodded uneasily as he eyed the boy with the menacing gaze a handful of times. "That was… an experience."

"But what about the marble…?" asked the shortest link in their group, sounding nervous as he held up a small box, the one he had used to bring the aforementioned marbles to school in.

"We'll get it back, _Nirengeki_ ," assured Juzo as he patted the shorter boy's shoulder. _Nirengeki Soda_ nodded with a small smile as he thanked Juzo, though the Titan looking young boy still seemed apprehensive. "But… not now…"

The two girls in the small group remained silent, with the one who had mushroom-esc hair doing her best to forget about the boy's gaze while the pale grey haired young lady simply stared at the teen in question with a neutral expression.

Then, the pale grey haired young lady stepped past her new group of friends and began approaching the vaguely familiar boy. As she did, her new friends all watched in terror and admiration at her bravery and willingness to approach the _**MENACING**_ boy.

As for the girl in question, however, she went up to him quietly, as she would any other person.

* * *

It didn't take long for Mika to notice that she was standing beside him. Turning to his side, Augus raised an eyebrow when he locked his gaze with a familiar pale haired young lady.

She looked exactly as he remembered, with her dark eyebags beneath her blue eyes and her signature 'stereotypical ghost' stance, with her forearms held up as high as her elbows and hands facing down.

"Oh, it's you," said Mika after a short while of silence, mildly surprised at seeing a familiar face as the girl standing before him nodded. "What do you want?"

The girl's simple response was to point below Mikazuki's table with a single finger, prompting the tail boy to peek below it and spot a single marble laying on the ground. Blinking in surprise when he saw it, Augus leaned down and picked it up. He lifted it up to eye level for a moment to have a good look at it before passing it to the girl before him, who held it between her left thumb and index fingers.

A single nod was all she needed to give to show her thanks, a gesture that Mikazuki mirrored, before they parted ways, with Mika going back to waiting ever so patiently for their teacher to arrive while the pale haired girl returned to her friends.

As soon as she placed the marble back down onto their shared table, the young lady acknowledged the shocked expressions that were directed towards her with a raised eyebrow.

"H-How did you…" began Juzo, being the one to break the silence. And his response from the pale grey haired girl was… overwhelming to say the least.

"It is oh so simple, my dear Juzo Honenuki," replied the young lady, lifting her right index finger up towards the ceiling as she spoke. "I have met that one student in my past. We assisted one another during the Entrance Exam, specifically in Exam Site D. He may have a _**MENACING**_ aura to him, but in reality, that young man is simply socially awkward. He speaks infrequently and tends to let his actions speak for him, as was demonstrated when he had assisted me during the Exam. His gaze may be intimidating, but know that it is simply his usual stare, or it is what I am led to believe as he kept staring at me with that expression even when we were out of danger during the exam. But besides the point, what I mean is that-"

The spores coming out of the green haired mushroom girl's hair cut the pale haired girl's speech short as, upon noticing that small fact, she paused her rambling and looked to her friend.

"Dear _Kinoko Komori_ , are you well?" inquired the pale haired girl, sounding rather concerned for the mushroom themed girl, Kinoko, as she leaned towards her.

"Y-Yes… I'm fine, _Reiko_ ," assured Kinoko as she turned up to stare at the pale grey haired young woman, _Reiko Yanagi_ , with a weak smile. "But… uh… c-can you speak a little less… verbosely?"

"M-My apologies, Kinoko… that is a habit of mine I wish to break…" apologised Reiko sheepishly. "What I meant to say is that I fought alongside that boy with the _**MENACING**_ aura during my Entrance Exam."

"And how was he?" inquired Tetsutetsu, smirking as he clenched a fist.

"Exquisite," responded Reiko with an approving nod. "Worthy of being in Class 1A, had he gone out to procure more Rescue Points."

"Yeah, but he's still a little unsettling to stare at for too long…" admitted Juzo sheepishly. And as if on cue, the boy in question turned towards them, and once more, a dark, _**MENACING**_ aura surrounded him. In response to this, everyone but Reiko began shivering once more. "H-How are you unphased by it…?"

"Simple, really," responded Reiko with a smirk as she moved to return to her table. "Horror movies."

And the remaining four were left a little dumbstruck by that answer, though thankfully they went back to normal before their homeroom teacher arrived.

* * *

 **So this chapter is a lot shorter than what I typically do, but it's probably for the best, considering the context.**

 **As you can probably tell, this chapter introduces Setsuna, Reiko, Juzo, Kinoko, Tetsutetsu and Nirengeki. Since this story is essentially Class 1B's side of things, they, alongside every other Class 1B student, will appear prevalently in the story. So there's something to look forward to… I think.**

 **In regards to Mika and Reiko's relationship with one another, I'll expand it in a future chapter. For now, it's left blank for a reason.**

 **The original intent was for this chapter and the upcoming be a single chapter, though it'll, without a doubt, end up becoming a nightmare since the next chapter will contain the Quirk Apprehension Test arc, so it's going to be cut in two for everyone's sake. And, I'll admit, I didn't put my 100% into writing this one. I just feel genuinly exhausted thanks to school and all that.**

 **I won't lie, I don't have much else to say at the moment. My two week holiday from college just started, so I can finally sit back and paint my Kits and/or write more garbage.**

 **For now, I'll just reply to the reviews before going off to take a sit down.**

* * *

 **Mordalfus Grea: well I suppose this should be marked as a spoiler, but Atra won't be joining UA. She will be appearing frequently however. And thank you, I'm glad you thought the previous chapter was great when I kinda found it subpar.**

 **Azure Dragon of the East: I couldn't resist that one little reference. And yes, it will be, though I'm not gonna reveal what it really looks like until… say chapter 9**

 **Guest: jeez, you must really dislike Neito.**

 **raigalcc: well, spoilers, Kudelia will appear in the future. And… Atra appeared in the story already…**

 **coldblue2015: it's always nice to read your reviews, y'know? Just makes me feel rather accomplished. In regards to your questions, the mentor part will most likely be saved for the whole thing in the Hero Killer Arc, and Mika will be staying in Class 1A for the foreseeable future. And in regards to your suggestions, I'll keep them in mind for a future chapter. And as always, thanks and have another update!**

* * *

 **Please keep the Jojo references out of my review section please. They're funny, but only in short bursts.**

 **Right, now see you guys next time!  
**


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